Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth
by Krishna Omega
Summary: Sephiroth was destroyed...twice. But is that enough? Only a few days after Advent Children, a new threat rises to test AVALANCHE's strength and limits once again. Rated for violence, blood, language. THREE NEW CHAPTERS UPDATED, MAR. 21, COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**Final Fantasy VII**

**Rebirth**

After a very long time, I've recovered from…well…not having a computer to write on! My old computer really took a crash, and it's been like that since August of '06. Finally, though, my mom saved enough money to buy another computer, and I'm back and (hopefully) better than ever. Some of you, if you're a fan of my (sadly) only complete fan fic, or maybe even my other incomplete ones, may be familiar with my work and how I do things.

I've authored several fics, but, as mentioned earlier, only one got finished. It was Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. Looking back on that fic, although it did well, I sort of wish that I had done some things better. I wish that I had developed more personalities for the characters, or at least personalities that fit the ones on the video games. The hardest thing about writing is to do that, and it really doesn't help when you have almost a dozen characters to watch over (every protagonist from every RE 0-4, and Code Veronica was involved, not to mention the handful of bad guys). But if you want to check that out, feel free. I also authored a short-lived, but well-liked fic (in my mind, anyways) called Metal Gear Solid: Untold Mission. For not finishing that, I say sorry, but the inspiration simply left. I also had two Final Fantasy IX fics, but each took a nose dive and I didn't go any further on those after the first couple of chapters.

But enough about the past, time to look at the present and future. I started to write this fic because of reading Big Trouble in Little Wutai, and its prequel Schism, both authored by Mendge. They are _great _fics if you love Final Fantasy 7 and Final Fantasy 10, or even if you don't love those two games, the two stories are still awesome. You don't have to be a fan to appreciate a good work. But as I said, I wrote this because I was inspired by Mendge's fics, and inspired by the love I have for FF7, which is my very first game – ever. I'll spare you from the story but it goes like this, the PS1 was my dads, we shared it, and he had Crash Bandicoot. I had FF7.

Anyways, this story takes place, as mentioned in the summary, only days after Advent Children (the movie). Anything in Dirge of Cerberus (Vincent's action game) is irrelevant (while I'm not taking anything away from its storyline that would just further complicate everything, since I really didn't totally grasp its entirety to be truthful). I just want to tell you to please review, as that is how I know people like the story. I'll try to post a new chapter two times a week. Sunday, and Wednesday, but depending on school and my own personal life, the updates may only come once a week. I'll tell you now, that I really haven't mapped out the entire story (I'm not that kind of writer, I just flow with the ideas that come) but I do have a specific plot designed so as to keep the story on track.

The main thing that I want to tell you all is to share your criticisms. As mentioned before, character development is important to me since it's so essential to a story that I cannot stress it enough. If you're reading, and you think 'Cloud wouldn't do that', then tell me. I would love to get every character's personality down to perfection, down to how they walk and breathe (but I'm not going into too much detail on all the characters in this chapter, since it mainly focuses on Cloud and Tifa.) Also, I know that my writing is not nearly as good as, say, Mendge's (as he is an inspiration for my writing), so please share your criticisms on that, too. I love to write, and currently I'm working on creating my own novels which I hope to publish one day, so please tell me what I am doing right and wrong. Not in every review, but every now and then, tell me what you think. If I get a bit sloppy, let me know. Quality is important to you readers as much as to me.

Uh…oh yeah! I need to include a Disclaimer, so here it is! Final Fantasy VII, the characters, the story, the game, and pretty much everything related to it are owned by Square-Enix and not me. However, any original plot or characters included in this fic DO belong to me and no one else can use 'em 'cause I'm stingy. Haha. (Unless Square-Enix wants to pay me to use them, then that'll be fine too)

Alright enough with all the talking. On to the story. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter I**

The Seventh Heaven Bar was somewhat quiet today, probably because of the events that occurred just two days ago. Edge had been shown a 'good time' as Cid had joked just after the battle with the Bahamut creature, and indeed it had. Loz, Yazoo, and Kadaj managed to wreak enough havoc to keep the citizens of Edge on, well, edge, for awhile. Other then that, though, everyone was just fine. The officials reported only two deaths and several injuries during the battles that ensued in Edge. All in all, though, the ex-Midgar citizens were willing to continue pushing forward.

The sound of glass clinking, and the two ceiling fans whirling, along with the chatter from the very few people inside, was all that could be heard. Barret was sitting at the bar, explaining in dramatic exaggerations the battle with the Bahamut creature to a pretty young woman. Cid was beside him, contradicting everything he said in a somewhat jokingly manner, smoking a cigarette all the while. Red XIII was outside on the doorstep, and maybe that was what was keeping people out, but the regulars knew better then to fear the red wolf. Vincent was sitting in a dark corner, silently watching the events inside the bar unfold with a blank expression on his sharp features. Yuffie was sitting amongst the only two people that weren't part of the AVALANCHE group, two men in their forties maybe, as Cait Sith entertained the men with a few jokes and less-then accurate fortune-telling.

From behind the bar, a rag and glass in hand, Tifa watched the people inside of her bar. Upstairs, Denzel and Marlene were playing. After drying the glass, Tifa set it under the bar and then approached Cid, Barret, and the young lady.

"…So I shot that bastard up." Barret was just getting done with showing off his mechanical arm. Although Shin-Ra was pretty much a sworn enemy of AVALANCHE, as a sort of peace amendment, the young President presented Barret with the highly mechanical appendage that would replace Barret's old gun-arm with a transformable machine gun/prosthetic forearm and hand. Rufus Shin-Ra had said something about the converting from an artificial hand to a weapon was all controlled by the muscles in Barret's upper arm. Truthfully, not even Barret understood how it worked.

"Bull – shit!" Cid countered, taking a long drag from his cigarette. "That ain't even how it happened. If I remember right, your gun jammed up, and we had to save your ass from that thing every time we took our eyes off of you. Look here, ma'am, I'm the real hero." Cid flexed his arm, his bicep, although well-shaped, was nothing compared to the tree-trunk arms and body that Barret possessed. "I took my spear and plunged right down into that things skull! Weakened it so my buddies could finish it off." Cid took another drag of his cigarette, blowing smoke rings as he continued. "Personally, I don't like to hog the limelight. Given the chance, that big fella on your right would hog the light in no time," Then he nudged her and whispered, "Not too hard for him to do anyways, is it?" Cid snorted and the girl giggled.

"Wanna' say something old man?" Barret growled.

"Yer not so young, neither, big guy." Cid retorted with a snicker.

Tifa laughed silently. The two of them argued a bit from time to time, as they had the biggest ego's in all of AVALANCHE, and couldn't help but butt heads sometimes. But deep down, she knew they respected each other and would gladly fight alongside or for one another, just like every other member of AVALANCHE. Tifa used to think that, in some way, AVALANCHE was a family. Not anymore. Now, Tifa _knew _that AVALACHE _was_ a family. And even though AVALANCHE was filled with some quite strange characters, they were all good people in their own way.

"Bottom line is that I was the guy that weakened that sonuvabitch, and that's that." Barret declared.

"Pffft." Was Cid's response to Barret as he smashed his cigarette into the bar counter without really thinking.

"Hey!" Tifa exclaimed from behind Cid, both men and the woman surprised to see her there. Tifa put the cigarette in the ash tray and produced a rag from her back pocket which she wiped the counter with.

"Oops. Sorry, Tifa, I wasn't thinking." Cid said sincerely.

Barret took this as his cue to crack a joke. He nudged the girl and with a grin said, "He don't do much of that."

"I heard that." Cid murmured.

"Would you two stop nagging!" Tifa said with a chuckle.

A shadow appeared in the open doorway. The figure stepped forward, bootsteps heavy and loud through the quiet bar. A cluster of bristly blonde hair shone briefly under a light as he passed under it. The hilt of a sword that rested on his back glimmered too, and as did the mans earring and shoulder guard on his left shoulder, hanging buckles from his pants also shone in the light briefly, his whole form seeming to shine for a split second. Cloud Strife had arrived from delivering to the old man at the Chocobo Ranch.

After the incident involving Kadaj and his gang – and ultimately Sephiroth reincarnate – Cloud, miraculously did not skip a beat. The very next day he traveled to Kalm, albeit Kalm wasn't very far, to deliver a few goods, and left early this morning to reach the Chocobo Ranch by noon. Cloud seated himself at the bar, and was silent until Tifa approached him and greeted him with a smile.

"How's business?" Cloud asked, crossing and resting his arms on the bar.

Tifa shrugged and grabbed a glass from under the counter. "This is the fullest it's been all day." Tifa filled the glass with ice and water, and then handed it to Cloud who took it gratefully. "What about you? How'd it go?"

After drinking half of the glasses contents, Cloud started. "I ran into a few monsters," Then he made a gesture with his hand toward the First Tsurugi, "But it wasn't really a problem. Where's Denzel?"

"Upstairs with Marlene, they've been playing for awhile now."

Cloud downed the rest of the water, and when he rose out of his seat, he found all eyes on him. He gave nods to Barret and Cid, and waves to the rest. Red XIII had come into the bar; Yuffie and Cait Sith had stopped their antics. Cloud looked back to Tifa, who was the only one who didn't seem particularly interested in every move he made. "They're still worried about me…" Cloud murmured to himself, Tifa didn't catch it.

"Hey, ain't _you _the guy that killed that monster?" The girl that was sitting between Cid and Barret had been the one to speak. "Yeah! It was you!" Barret and Cid protested, but not in their interest.

Without a word, Cloud turned and walked behind the bar and ascended the stairs to the second floor. To the left was an open door that led into a small office. On the lone desk was a mess of papers, a telephone, and above all else, a picture of himself, Tifa, and Denzel. Turning to the right, there were stairs that Cloud ascended. At the very top was another open door, this one led to Denzel's room. The top step squeaked as Cloud passed over it, but Denzel and Marlene were too enveloped in their game of dice to notice. For several moments, Cloud stood in the doorway and watched as the two exchanged rolls, exchanged cheers, and exchanged small, joking comments.

Finally, as Denzel was about to roll the dice, he looked up. "_Cloud!_" Denzel jumped to his feet and ran into Cloud's arms. With strong arms, Cloud lifted Denzel off of the floor. Marlene was looking at Cloud was a happy face.

"Hello Marlene."

"Hi, Cloud!" Marlene responded, pushing herself to her feet and walking over to him.

Cloud put Denzel down and leaned against the door facing. "What are you playing?"

"A game that daddy taught us." Marlene explained. Cloud could only imagine what it was.

"Yeah? Show me."

Marlene and Denzel led Cloud over to where they were playing in the floor. Cloud took a seat on Denzel's bed and watched. They were playing a very simple game often used for gambling, very popular in the Slums of Midgar. The game consisted of two die, a pair for each player. The game was usually played with four people to make it more exciting and too up-the-ante. One player would roll both die, and the next would try to beat that roll. The two best rolls were two sixes – twelve – and two ones – Snake Eyes – which was a definite win for the roller. As mentioned before, this was a very simple game and it didn't take very much skill to play.

"See? See?" Marlene said excitedly. "I just won!"

Denzel picked up the dice and snorted, "Yeah, just that round." He rolled. A two and a three. Marlene rolled. A five and one. Marlene mocked Denzel, Denzel fake laughed and they continued playing.

"You know, this is a gambling game." Cloud said as he watched Marlene just barely win her third round in a row.

"Yeah, we know." Denzel said, irritated at his third loss.

Cloud laughed quietly. "Then what are you gambling on?"

"Nothing." Marlene said simply, rolling again. A frown came across her face when her streak was broken by her roll of two threes, as opposed to Denzel's roll of a six and two. "We don't want to lose our money."

"Yeah, we're both saving up our allowances so we can buy a materia."

Cloud's small shadow of a grin faded. "Materia? For what?"

"Just so we can have it." Marlene responded.

"We'll have to talk about that." Cloud replied. "It's not as simple as Barret makes it look." Cloud said to Marlene. Denzel stuck his tongue out at Marlene, but before he could comment, Cloud turned to him and said, "That means you, too."

"Ah! Cloud! Why?" Denzel complained, lying his dice down. "You and Tifa do it all the time!"

"But we're different." Cloud frowned. "Look, don't worry about it right now. How much gil do you each have?"

"Twenty." Marlene said. "We've been saving for awhile."

Cloud nodded. "Well you won't have to worry about material for awhile, so how about we have this talk later when you two get the money together?" There were no objections. "Alright, then, let's play. Do you have some extra dice?" Asked Cloud as he took a seat, forming a triangle between the three of them.

Denzel got up and retrieved two extra die from his dresser. When he came back to Cloud and Marlene, he was surprised to see that ten gil were now in front of Cloud, Marlene, and where Denzel had been sitting.

"We'll play for real, and after we're done, you two can split up the gil fifty-fifty." Cloud announced, taking his dice and rattling them in his hand.

Denzel and Marlene agreed excitedly and Cloud took the first roll.

* * *

Elena had fallen asleep long ago, her head resting against the door of Tseng's convertible, which was more of a company car then actually Tseng's. Rude was sitting up front, in familiar silence. As always, his shades were on, as were his gloves and his many piercings. Tseng was driving, also in silence as he watched where he was going, so as to not hit any of the boulders that were scattered along the Midgar Wastelands. 

Impatient as hell, Reno let out a very loud, very exasperated and much exaggerated sigh that woke Elena from her sleep and made the ever-silent Rude grunt. Reno couldn't stand much to be cooped up in one area for long, and his fellow Turk's knew that all so well, even his boss who did not usually trail along with them knew that Reno was constantly on the move. The only exception to that was when Reno was at a bar, because there was nothing he enjoyed more than a good drink.

All four of them were off duty, but only he and Elena decided to go in 'civilian clothes'. While Rude and Tseng stayed in their unblemished suits, Reno was quite comfortable in a pair of loose fit jeans and a white button up with white undershirt. Elena also wore blue jeans, and a sleeveless black shirt.

"You two are really a pair of stiffs, you know that?"

Reno could see Tseng looking at him in his rear-view mirror. No emotion, however, was detectable in his boss's expression. "We are professional, Reno." He said it very flatly.

"And I'm not? How many people did I have to –" Reno stopped when Tseng narrowed his eyes. They didn't talk about their jobs while on leave. "Look, all I'm saying is that after wearing that damn suit twenty-four-seven, a pair of jeans and a button up sounds really good." What Reno didn't understand, was that Tseng and Rude's suits had become part of them, part of their personality. Elena's had too, as did Reno's, but they both shared the same mindset – it was vacation, and they might as well take full advantage of it.

Several moments, later, a black form was on the horizon.

"There it is," Reno observed. "Home sweet home." He said dryly.

The ruined form of what was left of the Shin-Ra building came into view. The large twenty-foot high gates that surrounded the entire perimeter were shattered, the once-bulletproof glass not able to withstand the heat from Meteor two years ago. The very few buildings that could be seen from this vantage point were also crumbling heavily, a reminder of the destruction that took place two years ago. In a sense, the destruction of Midgar, and the slow crumbling of Shin-Ra's power, all started on the very day that Cloud and his AVALANCHE buddies decided to attack the Mako Reactor. Reno forgot what number Reactor it was. Didn't really give a shit, actually.

Mako, though, was a thing of the past. Shin-Ra, too, almost disappeared, but after the crumbling of Midgar, Rufus found a way to reestablish a strong economic base for Shin-Ra to fall back on. Being the richest man in the world didn't make that a hard task. The Northern Crater had long been a sort of base for the Shin-Ra ever since Meteor. The tunnels, passages, and all else were now filled with people, airship docks, small structures, and the like. Slowly, the Northern Crater was being formed into one large building made of a combination of earth and metal. But until that project was done, Junon was decidedly the Shin-Ra HQ, although Rufus operated many things from his vacationing home on the outskirts of Edge in Healin.

As they passed Midgar, many things flashed through the heads of the Turks. Since the first meeting that they had with AVALANCHE, slowly, but surely, the two groups developed less of a grudge for the other. Any grudge, however that the Turks had against AVALANCHE was purely business, and any grudge that AVALANCHE had for the Turks were simply born from the hatred that AVALANCHE had for Shin-Ra. It never really was personal. The two years following the fall of Midgar, however, had brought around a new friendship. With Shin-Ra turning their programs around in favor of the planet, and establishing the World Regenesis Organization and funding the organization, AVALANCHE and the Turks found themselves working side-by-side during the construction of Edge. There really was no friction between the two groups anymore, and Reno, personally, preferred it that way. AVALANCHE was just a band of people that you shouldn't mess with, that was something he couldn't take away from them.

Reno put his head back, the wind manipulating his fiery red hair. From the corner of his eye, Reno could see Elena looking at him. "What?" He said, turning to look at her fully, he then saw that she was laughing.

"You're still wearing those goofy goggles."

Reno frowned. "And you're still…" Reno looked over her for something to say, and when he found nothing he finished by saying: "Rude still wears his glasses. And Tseng still wears his suit. My goggles are a part of me."

Surprisingly enough, Rude spoke. "Hypocrite."

"Huh?"

Tseng was laughing, catching onto Rude's comment faster than Reno had. "You just got done ridiculing us for what we wear."

Reno mocked Tseng after his words had sunk in. "I need a drink." Reno drawled after a moment. "How much longer?"

"A few." Tseng replied. Edge was located south of the Midgar ruins, right along the Midgarian Mountains. Their destination, though, was past Edge, in Healin on the western shore. Rufus wanted them to escort him to Edge for reasons he wouldn't reveal.

Reno turned to Elena. "Ellie, you're quieter than Rude. What's up?"

Elena looked at him, confused. "If you noticed, you're the only one talking."

Reno smirked. "Yeah, I'm the only one alive here."

* * *

First Tsurugi wasn't a light piece of steel. The blades that made it up equaled out to possibly more than his Buster Sword had weighed. Cloud leaned the blade against the wall as he walked into the office and walked past the desk that had the 'family' photo on it. Cloud kneeled down next to a safe at the far wall and put in the combination, 33-7-19, the safe door slid open smoothly. Inside were sacks of gil piled one atop the other, a total of around two dozen small bags. Cloud reached into his back pocket and produced another sack of gil, which he threw inside, the coins clanging as he did so. Cloud closed the door and stood up. When he turned around, Tifa was standing in the doorway. Cloud said nothing; he waited for Tifa to speak, as something was obviously on her mind. 

"Is something wrong?" She finally queried.

Cloud shook his head. "No why?"

Tifa frowned. "You just walked away down there."

Cloud matched Tifa's expression and walked forward. "I'm not a hero. Never was." Cloud motioned with his hand as if to dismiss the thought. "I'm just like anyone else."

Tifa really had nothing to say to that, and instead she embraced him. Cloud really didn't know how to react. His arms were limp at his sides for several moments before he finally brought them up to return the embrace. It was more a pat on Tifa's back than anything.

"I'm going to go for a ride…" He announced quietly. "I'll be back before night."

Tifa had no choice but to agree. She wasn't his mother, after all. As Cloud exited the room, quick to remember to bring along First Tsurugi, Tifa reflected on the events of the last few days. When Sephiroth was defeated – for the second time, a feat no man or woman should ever have to go through even once – Cloud seemed to be a little bit different. Different, though, for Cloud, meant cheerful. He smiled a lot more after that, and in fact, the smile that he gave everyone from the pool of water in Aerith's church was the first real one in days. But the same night, during a dinner that Tifa and the rest of AVALANCHE planned as a sort of celebration, Cloud fell back into his normal ways. After a toast to him, Cloud fell silent, barely able to force a grin after that.

Then there was the incident several minutes ago, in which Cloud responded much the same to, except this time he simply walked away. It was like he despised getting any recognition for what he has done to help others, like he was scared of it for some reason. Often times, Tifa found herself worried about Cloud, but this was not one of those times. Cloud was just Cloud again, and she couldn't expect him to be anything else.

When she left the office, closing the door gently behind her, a voice from upstairs was calling her. "Tifa! Wanna' play Eagle with me and Marlene?" It was Denzel at the top of the steps, in his bedroom doorway.

Tifa cocked her head to the side. Eagle was an old gambling game that slummers – including herself and the initial members of AVALANCHE – would play in Midgar. How 'Eagle' came to be called 'Eagle' was beyond her, it just seemed like regular old dice to her. "Eagle? How'd you two learn to play that?"

"Marlene's dad taught us." Denzel responded nonchalantly.

Tifa grinned. "He did, huh?" Tifa put her hands on her hips and started up the steps. "Gambling isn't a good thing, Denzel, you know that right?"

"Yeah. Cloud and Barret both said to just play it in private, and not to get too addicted to it or something. How can you get addicted to dice, anyways?"

Tifa laughed, "You'll understand after playing a few more games." Tifa stopped and added with a frown: "Especially once you lose a couple hundred gil to it." She remembered a time when a man in the old Seventh Heaven bar challenged Barret to a game. Barret was losing badly, and continued to fish out more gil from his pockets until the man had won everything that Barret had. Barret, being his usually self, unsurprisingly upended the table and chased the man around the bar. To make a long story –which consisted of many curses, many thrown chairs, and even more upended tables – short, the man never came back to the bar.

Denzel didn't seem interested in what Tifa had to say, as his eyes seemed distant. When she was done, he motioned for Tifa to sit. "Come on, we'll all play. Cloud even gave us some gil we can play with."

Tifa sat and as Marlene separated the gil evenly, she asked jokingly, "Do I get to keep what I win?"

"No!" Both children protested. "Cloud said we can keep the gil!"

Tifa laughed at their response and raised her hands as if to say she surrendered. "Okay, okay. I was just asking."

"Now here's the rules…" Denzel started, obviously unaware that Tifa knew how to play it. Tifa listened intently, sort of surprised to hear Denzel repeat the rules the right way. When he was finished, he handed her a pair of die. "Here, Cloud used these ones. He won a lot, maybe they'll bring you luck, too."

Tifa gripped the die and shook them in a closed hand. Marlene took the privilege of rolling first - a six and four. Denzel went next, courtesy of Tifa. He rolled a three and a four. Tifa grinned and then released the dice. She rolled two ones.

"Hey! Nice, Snake Eyes!" Marlene exclaimed. "Daddy and Cloud couldn't even do that!"

Tifa's grin just widened and she just scooped up her winnings and with a shrug she said, "I've always been better than them."

* * *

'Choco' Billy was wondering if it were possible for him to retire before Bill, the much older, much more experienced, Chocobo breeder. Every time he let the birds out to give their legs a stretch, one or two of them seemed to always manage to get away, and so Billy would have to wander out into the plains to bring the bird back to the stables. Sometimes, the stupid Chocobo's would wander off into the marsh, often because of the worms that lived at the very edge of the marsh. But every now and then, a Chocobo would wander too deep into the marsh and a Midgar Zolom would shoot up from beneath the thick marsh and eat the bird whole. When this happened, it was oftentimes Billy's fault, even if it wasn't, and the cost of the bird would come out of his paycheck. It was just a good thing it was never a black Chocobo or Gold Chocobo, which would sometimes add up to around one million gil in some cases. One time, he and Choco Bill had the privilege of looking after a gold Chocobo that was owned by a very wealthy man. The bird itself ran at over one and a half million gil. _That_ bird was seldom let out of the stables. 

The marsh was coming into view, and with it, was the yellow-feathered rear end of the stubborn Chocobo that decided to run off. The bird was bent over, poking its beak down into the marsh, probably grabbing some worms from the muddy bottom. The Chocobo lifted its head up and turned around. Its beak was covered in mud, its yellow face blemished by the brown, sickly color.

Billy whistled, the bird did not react and this angered him. "Come here you stupid bird!" Billy hollered from fifty yards away. The bird turned back around and dipped its head back into the marsh. Billy whistled again, and when no reaction came, he made a squawking noise like a Chocobo and the bird shot upright. It turned around, squawked back and then sprinted into the water. Billy's eyes went wide and he yelled at the same time, breaking out into a run as the bird went deeper into the marsh. Legs pumping beneath him, Billy imagined the gil disappearing from his paycheck by the second to keep him motivated to run quicker.

By the time he reached the marsh, the Chocobo was sinking into the muddy waters. Billy cursed and kicked the muddy water before him. Earth and water flew, and his patience grew thin with these creatures. Unable to really think, Billy stared out into the marsh and at the tree trunks that lay on top of the water. There were several of them, no particular position to the large logs. In his anger, however, Billy failed to remember that there were no trees within miles of the marsh that could easily end up in the swamp.

It was several minutes later when his anger subsided and he realized this. He also realized that the Zolom had never come up to claim its prize. When he put two and two together, Billy realized that those tree trunks were actually the bodies of the serpent-like Zolom's. The appearance of tree trunks came from the rough scales and color of the Zolom's, the bodies of the creatures floated on the surface in some places, and dropped below in others, giving the mirage of separate pieces. When Billy realized that the entire population of Zolom's inside the two hundred yard-wide marsh was dead, his nerves were quite shaken.

Before Billy could turn and run, something rose from the water, something dark, something he did not recognize as man or beast. The _thing _was humanoid shaped, although it rippled frequently, giving the illusion that it had no permanent shape, as if it were capable of shape-shifting. The strange organism took a step forward, a horrible scream erupting from somewhere deep within the thing. It sounded like hundreds of cries instead of one. Billy started to turn and run, but found that his boots had sunken into the mud and he was stuck. He looked down and thrust his arms into the water, searching for the strings of his boots so that he could escape from his prison.

The water in front of him rippled.

Billy looked up and the form was before him, its horrible make-shift body was shifting rapidly. Inhumanly, its frame jerked from the left and right in one motion, convulsing rapidly. It had a somewhat humanoid shape. It reached out its almost human arm, a long black tendril that quivered and convulsed out of rhythm with its other appendages and body parts. A stream of black shot forward at Billy, the strange black covering his body. It was after that that he realized that the black tendril, that the entire creature, was made of millions of individual cells that came together to make one shape. And now they were invading his body.


	2. Chapter 2

**Final Fantasy VII**

**Rebirth**

A/N: Well, although the story isn't picking up momentum as fast as I'd like, I still have one reader who enjoys it, and I'll keep updating regardless. Thanks goes to Lady Helsing for the very first review of the story. Uh...lets see...school started today, and I have two study halls so that takes the overall workload off of me lol, so the updates should come steadily. Alright, then, with no more to say, here's chapter 2.

* * *

**Chapter II**

Reno was pretty sure that he had always been the black sheep of the Turks.

Turks dressed well and in suits.

Reno dressed in suits, but not well.

Turks were neat.

Reno could be neat, but oftentimes wasn't.

Turks were also serious.

Reno was serious. But he also had a side that told him it was okay to laugh every now and then.

So as he sat there, reflecting on these many qualities of a Turk that he seemed to not have, but yet did, Reno stared at his complete opposite. Rude. And although they were pretty much opposites – Rude was silent, Reno was loud; Rude was big, Reno was lean, et cetera – they were like the perfect team and had been partners since day one of recruitment training. Elena was added into the equation later, but she still fit their group nonetheless and sure as hell did a good job in keeping Rude and himself from looking like a couple.

"What is it that makes me good at my job?" Reno finally blurted. It took Elena by surprise because she turned to him quickly.

"Your riot prod has a lot to do with it…" Elena replied in a murmur, turning away from him and attempting to fall into a sleep again.

"No, I mean…look at me, and then look at you all. I'm like…the complete opposite." Reno explained with a bit of a frown.

Tseng opened his mouth to say something, no doubt something smart-ass, but Rude beat him to it. "We're no better than you, partner." The large man assured.

Tseng laughed. "I was just about to say that you're the…'comic relief' of the Turks."

Reno grinned happily, content with the answers he got. Thinking about it, he partly expected them. "I can live with that."

"Mm. Now shut up." Elena snapped dryly. Tseng chuckled an agreement.

Reno shrugged. "I'm just trying to make his ride more interesting."

"Or more stretched-out?" Tseng deadpanned.

Reno took the cue to shut up and settled down in his seat. He stared out at the sky, watching the clouds as they passed by. A group of birds moved overhead, all in a neat formation as they crossed the sky. Interested, Reno perked up to watch them. Their formation was close to perfect, resembling that of a bunch of military jets straight from Shin-Ra. Normally, he wouldn't give a rat's ass but he asked anyways. "Are birds taught to fly in formation?"

"SHUT UP!" Tseng and Elena yelled in unison.

Reno sank further in his seat and cursed.

Rude snickered lowly.

* * *

Fenrir was a fine motorcycle. A one of a kind, parallel to no other single motorcycle in the world – it was truly a magnificent bike. Made of titanium painted an attractive, sleek jet black, and with so many luscious curves, the Fenrir always turned heads. What was hidden inside was the true magnificence, though. With the push of the button, the chassis opened up like a pair of wings to reveal slots specified for each part of First Tsurugi. The engine was tremendously powerful; the large wheels were reinforced to the extent of being able to take a few bullets without a hiss of air escaping. The Fenrir was actually going to be in mass production, via Shin-Ra, and used as a military vehicle since it had an almost infinite array of configurations available. But when Shin-Ra fell from power – their military completely dissipated – production halted. It was only when Rufus Shin-Ra decided to finish the motorcycle and hand it over to Cloud in hopes of it being a good peace offering. 

Indeed it was.

Fenrir roared along the Midgar Wastelands, the cloud of dirt that followed behind him was barely able to keep up as Cloud pushed Fenrir to its limits. The sound was almost deafening, the engine certainly pumping on all cylinders. It was a monster of a machine, and Cloud would have it no other way. He swerved around large boulders, in and out, and even popping wheelies and using some as ramps. The suspension reacted wonderfully, Cloud would never have even known that he left the ground and all several thousand pounds of the bike had plummeted back down to the dirt.

But he wasn't out here to show off to anyone who may be watching from afar. He needed to clear his head. Through his shades, Cloud actually didn't see what was ahead of him. Instead he saw his life, significant events that spanned from what little he remembered from his childhood, to just days ago when he locked swords with his arch enemy risen from death. Only a slight sense of his surroundings saved Cloud from crashing into a boulder and being lost in the aftermath that was sure to involve an explosion and lots of flying rock.

Never in his life had Cloud tried to assume position as a leader. After going through his recollections of life, Cloud wasn't surprised to find that he really never was a leader. As a child, he never objected to the games his friends wanted to play, he never suggested anything, never leaded his friends through games in front of his home in Nibelheim. Even in Shin-Ra, Cloud was just another soldier - not SOLDIER. Sure he was good, sure he was one of the most elite (even though he hadn't made it to the ranks of SOLDIER), but he never commanded anyone in his life. Throughout his years in Shin-Ra, Zack had served as Cloud's guide to everything. Zack was a natural born leader, just like Sephiroth. Cloud wasn't. Cloud never made his own decisions, or at least not the big ones. Most of everything he did was somehow affected by another's opinion on the situation. He wasn't fit to be a leader.

All of this, of course, wasn't to imply that Cloud was weak or would let people walk on him. If need be, Cloud would gladly leave a grown man sprawled out on the floor in his own blood if need be. But Cloud just wasn't a leader, and had only assumed that position after AVALANCHE escaped Midgar since their mission now became more about himself. But to himself, he never was an actual leader. Without the right information, Cloud wouldn't have known a damn thing about what to do next.

All of that came down to what had Cloud a bit bothered. He was no leader…and he sure as hell wasn't a hero. He didn't want people looking up to him, because he didn't want people to be like him. Lost…full of shattered dreams and idols, full of unfulfilled ideals that would never really reach the surface of his conscious. Cloud was more bothered on the inside than safe, and he knew that all too well. If it were some other crazy guy trying to destroy the world, and not the man who was the catalyst for everything that was wrong with Cloud, the world probably wouldn't have been here today.

If a totally different group of crazy guys that had nothing to do with Sephiroth had decided to show up in Edge, Cloud wouldn't have batted an eyelash at them. Cloud simply was no hero. He wasn't trying to save the Planet, or save the people of the Planet. He was saving himself, and in turn he had to save what he loved. Tifa, Denzel, Yuffie, Barret and Marlene, Cid, Vincent and all the others. If it weren't for them, Cloud may never have saved the world. He didn't want recognition for doing something that was so natural to do. It didn't make sense for him to be praised because he was only doing what any other person with loved ones would do.

That's what's bothering him.

He applied the brake, killed the engine, and lifted his shades once the dust around him had settled. He'd moved a ways from Edge in about ten minutes; the city wasn't visible on the horizon. Cloud turned away from Edge, silently noting that the sides of Fenrir felt a bit warm. In his trance he hadn't realized he was redlining Fenrir the entire time. "Sorry about that…" He mumbled to the motorcycle. If someone were around to hear him, he would've felt stupid.

If it weren't for lifting his shades, Cloud would not have seen the cloud of dust far off on the Midgar Wastelands, heading toward Healin. The only people he knew that traveled regularly to and fro Healin was Reno and his gang. The friction between the Turks and AVALANCHE was no longer present and, ironically enough, Cloud was actually starting to like them. The quirky Reno could always provide a laugh, and Tseng and Rude were two knowledgeable men he could carry a meaningful conversation with, and Tifa got along fine with Elena. Rufus was also a pretty good guy, one that Cloud enjoyed in his company. During his years in Shin-Ra, Cloud oftentimes saw Rufus tagging along with his father. Rufus always seemed a bit stuck up, always was, until the true weight of being Shin-Ra president began weighing on his shoulders.

Lowering his shades, Cloud started Fenrir again and started after them. He paced Fenrir, though, allowing it to cool off so as to not overheat it.

* * *

Barret watched amusedly as Cid and one of the customers knocked back shots one after the other. More than a dozen empty shot glasses lay on the table they were seated at, neither of them showing any signs of giving in anytime soon. Yuffie was cheering them on, as was Reeve – through Cait Sith – as the two men continued to fill their bellies with alcohol. Red XIII sat in sight of the men, his lips pulled back from his teeth in what could pass for a grin. Vincent sat in a dark corner, but was eyeing the two with just as much amusement as anyone else. 

"They're racking up one helluva bill." Barret commented, making a grin spread across Tifa's beautiful face. She was standing next to Barret, who was sitting in a chair that he'd pulled up in order to watch the drinking contest.

"We need to have more of these…" Tifa murmured as Cid downed his tenth shot. Barret caught a glimmer in her eyes, and before he could speak, she was blurting out her idea. "Maybe we could put up posters around Edge. 'Once a week: Drinking Contest, winner gets it free.'" She suggested.

Barret shrugged, but before he could comment on her idea, the man that was attempting to match Cid shot-after-shot jumped out of his seat and ran to the bathroom where he proceeded to puke about fourteen shots and his lunch in the garbage can.

"Oh yeah!" Cid exclaimed, knocking back another shot, courtesy of Yuffie who had been pouring the alcohol.

"Yeah, that's what I'm talkin' about!" Barret whooped, rising out of his seat to put Cid in a playful headlock.

After being released, Cid stood atop a chair and lit a cigarette triumphantly. "Come on back, boy!" He yelled to the man that was still in the bathroom.

Once everyone settled down, and Tifa and Yuffie cleaned up the shot glasses, Cid and Barret sat next to each other at the bar. Interested, Barret turned to Cid and asked, "Where'd you learn to hold your alcohol from?" Although Barret was fully capable of holding his own, also.

Cid shrugged as he took a long drag of his cigarette and tapped the ashes off in an ashtray. "Back when I was with Shin-Ra, before I became commander of the Twenty-Seventh Airborne division that fought in Wutai, me n' all the other trainees would hold contests like this a couple times a week. 'Course, our commander would have our asses the next day since we weren't in shape to train properly, but it was still about the best thing I ever did in Shin-Ra. I kind of grew immune to it as the years went by." Cid puffed on his cigarette a bit more and smiled. "Yep, those were the good ole' days."

"I wonder if Cloud ever did anything like that?" Barret queried, turning to study the pictures Tifa had hanging on the wall. She had a picture of everyone, group pictures, and old pictures of him, herself, Biggs, Wedge, and Jesse, too. The picture was of the five of them on the steps of the old Seventh Heaven bar. Barret sat in the middle of Jesse and Tifa, an arm around either of their shoulders, and Biggs and Wedge were trying to strike the coolest pose possible. Barret swallowed hard, trying not to remember that they were dead.

"Probably not."

"Huh?" Barret asked, forgetting all about his question.

"I said Cloud probably never did the things we did. I was in Shin-Ra years before him; the rules were probably a lot stricter when he enrolled." Cid smashed out his cigarette and pivoted on his seat so that he was facing the rest of the bar. Red XIII, Reeve, and Vincent were locked in conversation now, as Yuffie and Tifa were also talking something about something that was undoubtedly completely different. "Ain't it weird how we all got together?"

"All because of Cloud." Barret commented. "If it wasn't for hunting down crazy-ass Sephiroth, we woulda' never met you, Yuffie, Vincent…or Aerith."

"That boy sure does miss her…" Cid reflected with a frown. "Can't help but feel bad for him."

Barret nodded. "Yeah, he loved her. But I think he's puttin' it behind him now. You can't go through life dwellin' in the past and mournin' the people that passed. I lost my wife, and I won't let that pull me down."

Cid nodded, too. "Can't be said any better. I lost plenty of my friends in the Wutai-Shin-Ra war. If I went around moping all the time, I'd have to ask you to shoot me."

"Cloud's just been through a lot." Barret commented.

"You ain't kiddin'."

* * *

Reno plopped down on a couch and bounced up and down on it. It didn't make a sound. "Nice…" He commented in a whisper. 

Rufus sat at a table, a cup of coffee in hand. Apparently he had just woken a bit ago (although it was well into the afternoon by now) since it wasn't his tradition to drink a lot of coffee. Albeit he may have just woken, Reno would be damned if he still didn't hold an air of professionalism and superiority even now. At the table, Tseng, Rude, and Elena also sat. The three of them were quiet, patiently waiting for Rufus to speak as he sipped his coffee slowly.

_Well if no one else if going to speak up, I will, _thought Reno as he sat on the couch that sat against the wall only a few steps away from the table. "Whatcha' need us for, boss?" It could be confusing when he addressed Rufus or Tseng when they were in the same room together, since he referred to both of them as 'boss'. Tseng was, in all respects, his boss, but Rufus was Tseng's boss, so that made Rufus Reno's boss as well. Why that had anything to do with current events will stand to be unknown. Luckily enough for Reno, Tseng had understood that the question was directed at Rufus.

"I want you to take me to Edge," Rufus replied. "I heard that Reeve was there, and I'd like to talk to him about the merger."

The 'merger' was just Rufus' way of saying 'the event in which Shin-Ra – a monster of a military power – was slowly evolving into the World Regenesis Organization – a organization that still had military presence but was a lot less menacing since they were focused on helping the Planet recover.'

"Mm."

Rufus turned to Reno with a sharp glance. "Do you have something to say, Reno?"

Reno shrugged. "Just a shame, seeing this company turn into the WRO." Reno didn't pronounce each letter of the acronym, but instead pronounced it 'row'. No one else did that, so no one else really knew why the hell he did. "Us Turk's are going to see a change in occupation. Just imagine," Reno started to use his arms as if to glorify his words, "The Turks, a highly elite group of assassins working for the former Shin-Ra company are taking a turn for the better…by planting flowers and trees in small communities to bring new life to everything around!" Reno finished the last part in his usual drawling tone, no emphasis used at all.

"Would you rather be planting flowers and getting paid for it, or not having a job at all?" Rufus replied quickly, a hint of victory in his voice.

"Touché." Reno said with a smirk.

"Should we be going?" Tseng asked after several seconds had passed. The other Turks had let Reno's words sink in, but also put Rufus' words into heavy consideration. After two seconds, Reno's speech was no longer relevant.

Rufus shook his head. "I have some pastries in the toaster. We'll eat first and then we'll get on the road." As Rufus brought his coffee up for another sip, his ears perked up. He put down the mug, that read 'World's Greatest Boss' – a gift courtesy of Reno –, and listened intently. The sound then hit the other Turks' ears and they all recognized it as the roaring sound of a motorcycles engine. But not just any engine – the Fenrir.

"Great…" Reno drawled, "Spikey's gonna join the party. Got any extra pastries, boss?"

Rufus rose from his seat and walked to the door to unlock it. The door itself was made of two inch steel, effectively bullet-proof – as were each and every window. The locking mechanism, which appeared simple enough, actually controlled a much more sophisticated series of steel bars that would slide back into hidden recessed in the wall when unlocked. No one would ever have a chance of knocking that door –or the back door- down, unless that person just so happened to carry an RPG with them. Which, seeing as how this place was designed to ensure Rufus wouldn't get assassinated, really didn't seem all that farfetched since there were lots crazy people that didn't like him.

"Cloud," He greeted as he opened the door. Cloud was just making his way up the series of stairs. He acknowledged Rufus with a nod, and once Cloud reached the door he gave Rufus a firm handshake. Inside the vacation getaway home of the President of Shin-Ra / WRO, Cloud acknowledged everyone else with a nod also.

"I see you still have a few marks." Cloud commented, referring to the few bruises that Reno and Rude still had from their scrap with Yazoo and Loz.

Reno laughed as he stood up from the couch to shake Cloud's hand. "Yeah, it's surprising that not one Turk carries a Cure materia with them."

Cloud gave a quiet smile then reached into one of his pockets and produced a green orb. "Just give it back," he stated, handing the Cure materia to Reno.

"Will do."

Rufus disappeared into the kitchen as Cloud shook both Rude and Tseng's hand and then gave Elena a small, friendly, very un-Cloud-like hug. Reno snickered as he applied the Cure materia to his visible bruises. Albeit they didn't seem like much, they hurt like hell and marred his skin. Just in case he was to meet a lady some night soon, he didn't want to turn her away with some ugly bruises. "Yo, Spikey." Cloud, knowing his nickname well, turned to Reno, at the same moment his reflexives sent his hand up to snatch the Cure materia out of the sky before it could collide with him. "You're good…" Reno commented with a laugh.

Rufus appeared from the kitchen with a large plate, ten toaster pastries piled on top of it. He sat it down at the table and looked up at Cloud. "I'll have to apologize, but my employees have yet to eat and I do not have enough for you. Help yourself to the kitchen, though, if you'd like."

Cloud shook his head. "I'm fine, thank you."

A few seconds passed as they ate in silence, Cloud had made his way across the room to stare silently out the window as they finished.

"It's strange, isn't it?" Elena started, more of a statement then a question.

"What's that?" Tseng queried.

"Two years ago, we would be trying to kill Cloud." This made Cloud turn around and face them. "But now, there's not a strand of hostility between us."

"Reno _did_ attack me the last time I came here," Cloud reminded them.

Reno shrugged. "You came in without a knock. Coulda' been an assassin here for my boss." Reno chuckled.

Cloud got ready to speak, when there was a muffled _thump _at the door. Before any could act, another _thump _sounded and was followed up with two consecutive _thump_s. The Turk's all rose to their feet, each had produced a handgun from somewhere on their person and had their red dots focused on the door. Rufus was also at his feet, a hand was inside his long white trench coat, where Cloud knew all to well that the young Shin-Ra president concealed a sawn-off double-barrel twelve-gauge.

In silence, Tseng told Cloud to move to the door with a notion of his head. Cloud did so, standing flat against the wall next to the reinforced door. Unsheathing First Tsurugi, Cloud reached a hand out toward the lock. With a simple flick, he unlocked the door, the unseen metal bars moved soundlessly into hidden recesses in the wall. The door squeaked opened up and their beams fell on a young man with brown hair and muddy overalls on. 'Choco' Billy.

"Ain't you the kid from the Chocobo farm?" Reno asked, none of their beams faltering from the young mans chest.

"Something's wrong." Cloud said, backing away from Billy with First Tsurugi drawn. "I was just at his ranch this morning, there's no way he could have made it here on foot." _There's no Chocobo at that ranch fast enough to get him here. The distance from here to the Ranch is at least a day's walk. _

It was at that moment that Billy's hand snapped out, the appendage stretching across the room and slamming into Reno's chest, sending the red-head flying to the far wall and left him in a heap on the floor. Before any could react, his arm retracted and snapped back out again, this time missing its target as it made a sizeable crater in the wall just past Rude. Again it recoiled, but before it could snap out again Cloud brought First Tsurugi down on the appendage and cut it in two. All of this happened in two seconds.

The severed limb flailed on the ground, black liquid oozing out of it. However, the part of the arm connected to Billy quickly reconstructed itself and struck out again. This time the Turk's were ready for it and they all ducked behind the stainless steel table that Rufus had instinctively flipped over to take refuge behind. Blindly, Rude took a few shots, none of which landed.

Cloud reared back First Tsurugi and struck out, but the tentacle-like arm of Billy caught him defenseless and sent him flying over the couch. Reno, who was just getting his senses back, fired off several shots. Four landed, punching holes into Billy's abdomen and chest. Black liquid burst forth from the holes, marring Rufus' clean floor with the fluids. The holes quickly sealed up, though, and Billy took a step forward. Several other shots hit him, and Cloud took the chance to take cover behind the upturned table with the Turks. He slid to a stop on his knees, Reno quickly joined them. The table was large, thankfully, and was enough to provide cover for all of them.

Among all other indications, Cloud also saw when he peered out from behind his cover that the whites of Billy's eyes had gone black, as if they were full of something, and he knew for sure that something was wrong.

His heart skipped a beat when he realized what was wrong.

"Jenova." He breathed.

* * *

Tifa always told him that Edge was pretty much the shadow of Midgar. Almost exactly the same in almost every aspect besides the fact that there were not economical classes to divide the people…whatever that meant. Tifa had explained that Midgar used to have a large plate that separated the rich from the poor – and that she used to live under the plate in what was called the slums. But since Edge was primarily crafted by those that lived in the slums – those that were never treated fairly by the upper plate population – they found a way to spread money pretty much equally so that no one had too much more power over the next. 

Edge was also like Midgar in the fact that there really wasn't a government. The World – something-or-other- , or the WRO, as Denzel remembered it, pretty much oversaw everything that happened in Edge. But so as to make sure that the WRO doesn't get as power-hungry or tyrannical as, say…Shin-Ra, the people of Edge had the right to vote on laws and also get rid of the laws after they were passed as long as the majority voted to ban it.

But it wasn't like Denzel understood all of that, anyways, so it really didn't make that much of a difference to him.

In his thoughts, Denzel nearly ran into a woman who was carrying an armful of grocery bags. Apologizing, Denzel continued on his way and Marlene giggled at him.

"What?" He asked.

"You're clumsy." She responded teasingly.

Denzel stuck out his tongue. He stopped several paces later and pointed ahead of them. "There it is," He said, "That's the place Tifa wanted us to go to."

Marlene searched through her pockets and produced a piece of folded paper. Unfolding it revealed a list of items Tifa needed for the bar – napkins, peanuts, and the such – and for Denzel, Tifa, and Cloud's dinner of cheeseburgers. There were also a few items on the list that her dad wanted them to pick up. She handed the list to Denzel, memorizing the things that her dad needed – toilet paper, soda, eggs, were a few. Inside the store the two split up. They did this once a week and often made it out of a game; whoever was done first got bragging rights, and not much else.

Denzel dropped three packages of napkins into his basket before moving over to the dishwashing detergent and dropping two bottles of it into the red basket. Moving through the store, Denzel grabbed various items, knowing by heart what was in each aisle. Expertly, he filled his basket with whatever was on the list, mentally crossing off items as he put them in the basket. When he crossed Marlene's path, the two would whisper small mockeries that made each of them hurry along faster.

When Denzel came to the aisle with the food – the last thing on his list – he briefly eyed a bag of chocolate-covered raisins. He could taste them even as he eyed the package, but knew that Tifa had only given him enough to buy what they needed. Usually she'd give each of them five extra gil to buy a treat for themselves, but since they both just finished off a few left-over pastries Tifa didn't want them to 'get fat' as Yuffie had once put it.

Moving to the various things used to make pastries and such; Denzel hurriedly put them in the basket and then retrieved the peanuts – the last thing on his list. Then a 'hoot' came from the other end of the store and he knew that Marlene was finished. He heard her running footfalls even as he sprinted to the front of the store, items inside the basket bobbing crazily. Marlene had beaten him, as she was emptying her baskets contents out on the counter. The man behind the cash register smiled, accustomed to their antics.

Outside, Marlene stuck her tongue out at Denzel who rolled his eyes. "I'll get you next time." He said assuredly. "I was just distracted."

"Uh-huh, you say that every time." Marlene giggled, and then changed the subject abruptly. "Do you think Cloud will play another game of Eagle when we get back?"

No response.

"Denzel –"

"Look." Denzel interrupted in a whisper. When Marlene looked at him, she followed his finger to where he was pointing to a man walking down the street. The man had a bit of a limp, but other then that nothing seemed peculiar about him. Some other people were watching the man to, as he silently walked along the street, his right leg seeming to want to collapse underneath of him with each step.

"What?"

"His eyes are weird."

Marlene looked harder, and then discovered that the whites of his eyes were not _white_ – they were eerily _black_. Marlene shuddered. The black-eyed, pupil-less, man was on the other side of the street and soon enough his back was facing them and he was disappearing down the street. Toward Seventh Heaven.

Instinctively, the two followed the man, keeping their distance all the same.

* * *

"Jenova?" Reno blurted out in surprise. "Thought the bitch was dead?" 

"Sephiroth was dead, too, but that didn't stop him from coming back." Tseng deadpanned. There was a hint of malice in his voice. He wouldn't soon forget the injury Sephiroth dealt to him in the Temple of the Ancients.

Cloud nodded quick agreement.

"How do we kill it?" Elena asked from behind Tseng. All of the Turk's had a small firearm drawn. Reno's riot prod was also at the ready. Rufus was unarmed.

"Just like anything else…" Cloud murmured.

"So we just lay into it until the bastard dies?" Rude asked rarely, more-or-less stating a fact and finishing off Cloud's sentence then asking a question.

Cloud nodded.

"Then what are you all waiting for?" Rufus asked impatiently, hearing the things plodding footsteps from behind the cover. "Don't just sit there –" And the thing growled, surprising all six of them. Apparently it was confused and didn't know where they were. For a higher being – as was the supposed nature of 'aliens' – it wasn't all that bright.

All at once, the armed Turks rose and fired off their handguns. Empty shells clattered to the ground, rounds dug deep into the creature that had once been a human being. As if it were made of water, the rounds split right through the Jenova-creatures body and slammed into the far armored wall, not making a dent as the bullets lost all momentum. Thinking quickly, Cloud cast a Haste materia on himself. As instantly as the green aura rose over him, he felt his heart pump faster, his blood flowed with the effects of the haste materia. Gripping First Tsurugi tightly, Cloud jumped out from behind the cover as the Turk's guns all clicked empty. Rufus did too, disappearing into another room.

Moving as quickly as he was, Cloud was surprised when the Jenova-creature side-stepped his attack and slammed its rubbery arm into his back, sending the blonde into a wall. Cloud cringed, but gathered himself quickly. He rose to his feet, sword never having left his hand, and readied to go on the defensive. Just as soon as he presumed the creature would strike, its body seizured as an electrical current flowed through it. Behind the creature stood the red-headed Turk, his riot prod buried deep in the Jenova-creatures back, so deep that Cloud could see the tip of it pushing through to the front of the creature's rubbery torso. Reno then pressed his handgun up to the back of the creatures neck, Cloud guessed it was an execution move he'd learned as a Turk. The creature reacted quickly by stretching a rubbery arm around its back and seizing Reno by the back of his shirt.

Reno fired wildly, the shot hitting the floor and ricocheting into a lamp that exploded into hundreds of glass shards. The creature swung Reno up over his head and slammed the redhead down to the ground, the Turk's handgun and riot prod fell from his hand. He screamed painfully as the back of his head hit the floor, the carpet not doing much to soften the landing. Reno moaned in pain, but before the Jenova-creature could finish him off Cloud lashed out at the convulsing creature. Slowly, although not detectable under an untrained eye, the Jenova-creature was losing Chocobo Billy's manifestation e and forming its own appearance.

Cloud's heavy blade cut deep into the Jenova creature's side, splitting it open and causing gallons of black fluids to flow out onto the carpet. It stumbled a bit, dazed, and Cloud struck out again, this time hacking into its left shoulder. Black fluids stained the ceiling and walls. If the creature were a human, it would have crushed bone, but since it was not, it just sliced through the rubbery exterior of the Jenova-creature's shoulder. This still caused it pain, though, as it screeched an unearthly sound. Cloud heaved First Tsurugi out of the creatures shoulder and in the same motion he delivered a powerful kick square to the things chest that sent it stumbling into a wall. Its head smashed into the two-inch thick steel wall, tinting it black. Reports sounded as the Turk's emptied their clips once again into the creature that had slid down into a sitting position against the wall.

As Cloud regained his center of gravity, he split one of the sub-swords from the main formation. A sword in both hands, Cloud charged forward as the Turk's firearms clicked dry for the second time in less than a minute. He thrust the sub-sword into the creatures chest and reared back the much larger main sword, chopping back into the Jenova-creatures left shoulder, this time cutting the arm clean off. More black fluid spilled out. Cloud pulled his sub-sword from the creature and chopped into its right collarbone, just missing the creatures' neck, the sword lost momentum when it was about four inches deep. Quickly, Cloud brought the main sword up around his back, and at the peak of its arc he let gravity take over. Sword hit sword, the main configuration crashing into the sub-sword and driving the blade several inches deeper into the creatures' torso. In effect one gash met the one inflicted earlier and the creatures' entire right side, from its collarbone down to where its belly button should be, fell off in one chunk of meat that quickly turned into gurgling black liquid.

Cloud brought the two swords together, experience reminding him where the sub-sword belonged in the configuration of the First Tsurugi. The sword clicked into place and he raised it up over his head, not a second thought crossed his mind as he was intent on splitting the Jenova-creatures head in two. First Tsurugi was stopped, however, just inches above the creatures head, the black fluids that had stained the ceiling managed to form into ropes and stretch down to wrap around the blade. Cloud strained, but the alien tendrils were too strong. Before he could react, more black fluids came alive, sliding across the floor in one mass and formed a puddle around his feet, the next second it had hardened.

Right under his nose, helpless to do anything, Cloud witnessed the regeneration of the Jenova-creature. What parts that hadn't been damaged by him or the Turks still held the appearance of Chocobo Billy, while everything else was an eerie black-purple color. Cloud struggled to break away from the fluids that were actually millions of Jenova cells that had come together as one. First Tsurugi wasn't about to budge, and his feet might as well have been cemented to the floor.

The Jenova-creature rose from where it had been sitting on the ground, the facial expression of Chocobo Billy's stolen features were emotionless. Then First Tsurugi was free, Cloud's feet just the same, but in the same second the Jenova-creature lashed out and sent Cloud soaring across the room and into a wall next to a closed metal door. Reno lie not far away, a red puddle of blood had stained the carpet, but he was regaining his wits. First Tsurugi clattered to the floor.

The Jenova-creature moved in twitching steps, all of its scraps of body parts had rejoined the being by now. It soon stood over Cloud, the other Turk's were helpless to do anything as their handguns were empty and they had no more back-up clips. The creature reached out and wrapped a hand around Cloud's face, its grip incredibly firm. Cloud's scream was muffled. He flailed his arms and legs, the thought of summoning magic never crossing his mind in his frantic struggling.

Then the creature cried out, stumbled a bit and turned around to face the one who had smacked it with a metal riot prod. The prod met the creature's face this time, at the same time Reno hit the red button located on the handle. An adequate quantity of voltage exploded from the prod, sending a tremor over the creature's body that lasted for two seconds before Reno pulled the prod away and reared back for another strike. The creature countered, smacking the prod out of Reno's hand with one rubbery arm, and smacking him in the face with another. Reno fell back to the floor again and the creature quickly took stance over him. The Jenova-creature lifted its extendable arm, the appendage stretched up to the ceiling, suddenly gaining mass, appearing to be one large, hypothetical, hammer. Reno, still dazed, had no time to protect himself from the impact of the falling arm.


	3. Chapter 3

**Final Fantasy VII**

**Rebirth**

A/N: Wow...a very late update by me. I've been kinda' busy, so I haven't had a chance...but here it is now! Without very much to say, I give you chapter 3 in my story. I already have the next few planned out, and I don't plan on ditching this one like the others. I'm sort of disappointed that I'm not getting more reviews, but I can't force anyone to do so. However, I will keep updating this story until it is complete. I guarantee you that this one will never get ditched, because I think that it just shows that I have less determination to become a writer if I do so...so here it is. Chapter 3. Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter III**

The first thing that crossed Vincent's mind when the man with a limp appeared in the doorway of the Seventh Heaven bar was that he almost _fell _into the bar.

The second thing that crossed his mind was that the man had completely black eyes.

The third thing that crossed his mind was a combination of the first two things. The limp wasn't an actual 'limp'; it was a convulsion that sort of tricked his eye into seeing a limp. The convulsion was inhuman, as it stretching the leg out to the left, bending where it wasn't meant to halfway below the knee. Putting this together with the black eyes, and the fact that it was not human, brought a fourth thing to Vincent's mind.

The fourth thought was that maybe he should have warned everyone before acting.

Cerberus spoke; the report of three bullets being fired at once was as loud as a shotgun, as the power behind it was surely the same. All three bullets moved in close proximity and hit the man at the same moment. The momentum of the bullets sent the man flying over an unoccupied table and to the floor. The two people that Vincent knew could not fight – which were the only two people in the bar that did not belong to AVALANCHE – were scared stiff. With his clawed hand, Vincent heaved one of the men from his seat, requesting simply, "Leave," as he pushed the man toward the door. Vincent's red eyes bore into the other man's eyes, and both men scurried out of the bar without a question asked.

Vincent's clawed arm had reacted as the man came into the bar, but the reaction had intensified when Vincent had shot the convulsing man and sent fluids spraying from his torso. Vincent vividly remembered this feeling when he fought with Jenova during his journeys with Cloud and AVALANCHE. Back then, he decided that it was the Jenova cells inside of him reacting with the Jenova spawn that he was fighting with that made his arm twitch a bit. This time was no different and there was really no other explanation.

"What the hell's your problem you crazy sonuvabitch!?" Cid hollered from where he sat at the bar. Vincent didn't reply. Similar questions burst out of the mouth of Barret, and even more variations from the rest of AVALANCHE. When the wounded man stood up, black fluid staining his white shirt, Vincent had no reason to explain. The black fluid was absorbed into the mans body like he was a sponge, and with one hand the man – no, the Jenova symbiote – tore the table it had been thrown over from the nails that held it to the floor. The wooden table flew across the bar and toward Vincent who ducked out of the way and the table crashed and splintered against the wall behind him.

Coming up, Vincent fired off several more rounds. They pounded into the symbiote but had little effect. By now, all of AVALANCHE had risen from their seats, but only Barret and Vincent were armed. Tifa and Red XIII could also fight since they used their fists and claws, respectively. Barret unloaded a chain of bullets that punished the Jenova symbiote, but did little to slow its advancements toward the front of the bar. Red XIII leapt and stood his ground about twenty feet ahead of the creature, Tifa stood ready behind the red animal.

As Barret's bullets tore the symbiote apart, Vincent wondered if this meant that Sephiroth was lurking nearby.

* * *

Rude sprinted toward the Jenova spawn, gloved hand cocked behind him, ready to drive his fist into the thing at full force with the added strength of a Deathblow materia to back him up. As it was, that still didn't mean that he would particularly knock the creature out. But Rude wasn't just going to stand by as his partner and best friend's skull get crushed. 

Just feet from the creature, Rude hollered out, calling up all of his might – and the head of the Jenova spawn exploded. It wasn't until after the creature fell to the ground that Rude realized that a blast from Rufus' shotgun had taken the creatures head clean off of its shoulders. Rufus had run into another room when the fighting had started – no one knew he was running to get his shotgun.

"Damn good timing, boss." Rude said quietly.

The body of the Jenova-creature dissolved into fluid and scurried toward the door. Rufus fired his shotgun, but it did not stop the dissolved creature from disappearing out of the door of his summer getaway home. It did, however, create a sizeable hole in his floor.

Cloud was just getting to his feet when the other Turk's came to help Reno up. Blood made his hair stick together on the back of his head. Elena quickly sat the red-head down on the couch and administered a cure spell to the beaten Turk. Rude stood nearby. During the healing process Reno watched Cloud, Tseng and Rufus as they discussed the events. He didn't hear it all since it seemed like five little men were inside of his head with jackhammers.

"Jenova cells…its not good…" Cloud said in a grave voice.

"Definitely not. We should…" Tseng's sentence started clearly but broke away when the little men with jackhammers started inside of Reno's head.

"…construct a team to find the source…things might get bad." Rufus was saying unsurely.

"…Sephiroth is responsible?" Tseng asked, Reno's ears perked.

"All done." Elena said, and rubbed Reno's shoulders. "You hit your head pretty hard."

"I've had worse…" Reno drawled.

Elena snickered. "That you have." She turned away from Reno and looked at Rufus. "Boss, do you have any bandages I can wrap Reno's head with?" She asked, interrupting his, Cloud and Tseng's conversation. "I was able to heal it a little bit, but it should still be covered to prevent infection."

Rufus didn't respond for a moment, but then nodded and said, "In the bathroom", and returned to his discussion.

Elena led Reno into the bathroom and seated him on the toilet. The walls and ceiling were white; the floor was tile with diamond-shaped designs. The toilet, shower/tub, sink, and cabinets were all white or painted white. An eggshell-colored placemat was in front of the toilet and a stepping mat in front of the tub. Reno grimaced as Elena pressed a damp rag to the back of his head. Cure materia had a knack for not doing what it should, and that was not totally healing the subject. At its highest level, the Cure materia could heal exterior and some interior wounds, but more times than not, bandages and the regular first aid items were needed.

"Did you hear what boss was talking about?" Reno managed to ask between groans.

"Not a word." Elena relieved his head of pressure for a moment and then gently pressed back on the gash on the back of his head with a damp rag. "I wasn't paying attention."

"You already know that thing we fought was Jenova…but Tseng mentioned Sephiroth." Reno winced as she pressed a bit harder by accident. "That could mean some bad things."

"I doubt he'll be back." Elena assured. "He's already died twice."

"Third times a charm." Reno deadpanned. "And that could go both ways. Maybe he's back for a third time, and he'll be defeated for a third time and this time for good. But what if he returns a third time and doesn't go away so easily? We're all human – he's not." Reno frowned at his own words and let the statement hang in the air for a moment. "As far as I see it, we've all gotten lucky so far. Loz and Yazoo – those two guys me and Rude fought with – were part of Sephiroth, so they were beyond humans, too. They could have just as easily killed Rude and me if they wanted. Same goes for AVALANCHE and Cloud. I think Sephiroth could put them all out in seconds flat if he wanted…so what if he's just playing with them? With us all?"

Elena frowned. "It could just be some stray Jenova cell's trying to gather up. It probably came here because of the cells inside of Cloud, not because it wanted _us_." With the appearance of Kadaj, Loz, Yazoo, and – eventually – Sephiroth, that idea didn't sound too farfetched. Jenova cells didn't just wander the planet, but it was possible that some were left astray in the wake of the fighting with the silver-headed men.

Reno shrugged – the door opened to the bathroom. Rude peered inside.

"We're going to Edge," Was all he said before disappearing.

Elena ringed the cloth out and then re-dampened it and pressed it to Reno's head gently. "Try to keep it there. The blood will clot soon. You can get by without a bandage, now, I think."

* * *

The Jenova symbiote was literally in pieces. The powerful, high-caliber, rounds that spat out of Barret's mechanic gun-arm had made mincemeat out of most of the creatures' body. It was trembling unsteadily, its mutilated face had no expression but there was no doubt that it was in immense pain. None moved, save the quavering symbiote, as they all waited for its next move. Cid had produced a broken table leg as a weapon just in case he was forced to act. 

Then it fell in a heap, the body liquefied as it fell to the floor. The scattered pieces of the symbiotes body gathered where the larger portion had fallen and it slid smoothly to the exit, retreating. Moments later, Denzel and Marlene came through the door. Marlene was crying, Denzel looked frightened.

"Is everyone okay?" Denzel demanded as Tifa ran to him and embraced the small boy. Barret held Marlene in his large arms.

"Everything's fine, Denzel." Tifa assured.

"Is it, daddy?"

"Sure is, honey." Barret said, smiling down at Marlene.

"I wouldn't be so quick to assume." All eyes went to Vincent, who stood alone. He was wiping Cerberus off with his blood-red cape. He didn't speak for a moment, leaving everyone in the bar in impatient silence as he catered to his gun. When he was finished, Vincent slid the gun smoothly into its holster beneath his cape and started across the room in long strides. His boots clicked with each step. When he was closer to the group he finally spoke again. "Whenever Jenova appears, Sephiroth is following close behind. It never fails, and there is no evidence that this time is any different. We should assume the worst."

"Isn't Sephiroth that man Cloud fought with?" Denzel asked quickly.

Tifa ignored Denzel's question. She was focused on Vincent, his crimson eyes unwavering. "Then what can we do?"

Vincent produced a bit of a shrug. "There's not much that we can. Maybe a trail will show up and we will be able to follow it. Until then we wait patiently." There were no objections. "We don't necessarily have to stay together, but none of us should leave Edge just in case Jenova makes a re-appearance. With any luck, maybe Sephiroth won't be tagging along."

By the time Cloud's motorcycle roared into Edge, night had taken over. The air had become noticeably cooler, a crisp breeze blew through his hair and Cloud remembered the night that he and AVALANCHE escaped Midgar. He had had the same feeling then, had the same breeze blowing through his same blonde hair. So much had changed since then, though…Cloud experienced the feeling of death, of seeing Sephiroth for the first time in years, found out so much about himself. The world itself had been changed between now and then…

Beneath a streetlamp, Cloud could see a flailing piece of red cloth that belonged to Vincent Valentine. Beside him was Cid Highwind. Both men were standing outside of Seventh Heaven, Cid puffing furiously on a cigarette and pacing. Cloud stopped Fenrir in front of Seventh Heaven; Tseng's car came to a halt behind him.

"It's 'bout damn time you came back!" Cid snapped furiously, throwing his cigarette down and grinding it into the concrete with the toe of his boot. Cloud was just getting off of his bike when Cid bombarded him. Vincent took a much calmer approach.

"We were visited today."

Cloud decided to let his own story wait. "By?"

"Jenova."

"No shit?" Reno bellowed, stepping up next to Cloud. Tseng, Elena, Rude, and the young President took their places next to the red-headed Turk shortly after climbing out of Tseng's car in a not-so-hasty manner like Reno had. "We were, too!"

"…Well that explains where the hell you've been…" Cid mumbled.

Cloud started, ignoring Cid's comment. "Is everyone okay?"

Vincent nodded. "It was a short affair. You?"

Cloud nodded. "But with one exception – Reno got bumped in his head."

Reno shrugged it off arrogantly. "Yeah I'm good to go, though."

"Well let's get our asses inside and come up with a plan!" Cid shouted as he headed into the Seventh Heaven Bar. On the way up the steps, Vincent pulled Cloud off to the side and waited for the others to leave before speaking.

"You realize that this could be a serious problem, don't you?" Vincent questioned. Cloud nodded response. "Good. It is something we should approach in a somber manner." He then disappeared into Seventh Heaven.

Cloud blew out a breath. _Is it you, again?_ Cloud wondered as he stared up at the night sky that was sprinkled with millions of stars and a crescent moon. Just a few days ago he locked swords with Sephiroth for the second time, and Cloud couldn't help but wonder if a third time was inevitable. Clearing his thoughts, Cloud stepped into the dimly-lit Seventh Heaven Bar. AVALANCHE was seated around the bar. A hint of relaxation was not present amongst even one of them. Cloud took a seat next to Tifa. He shared a quick smile with her before looking up at Reno whom was finishing the story of the fight with the Jenova creature in Healin.

"You're okay?" Cloud whispered as he watched in a bit of amusement as Reno flailed his arms around, reenacting a scene from the fight.

"Mm. I didn't even have a chance to hit it once, Barret and Vincent made quick work of it."

"…and then Boss came along and blew its head off with the shotgun." Reno explained, pulling the trigger of an imaginary shotgun and mimicking an explosion with his hands.

"Well that's all fine and goddamn dandy, Reno," Cid blurted, "But we really need to get down to business."

"Go ahead, old man. Floor's yours." Reno said dismissively as he took a seat with the rest of the Turks.

Cid took a drag of his cigarette and blew the smoke out of his nose. "I really think that Cloud should address the problem," Cid said as he turned to Cloud.

Surprised, Cloud leaned forward in his chair and frowned a bit. "Both creatures, from the sound of things, were weak. I don't think that these Jenova creatures were put together by Sephiorth – like the ones that we've fought in the past. Most likely, they are just remnants of Jenova cells that banded together and attacked the first thing that they saw."

"Yeah, but the one that me and Marlene saw walked all the way down the street to the bar." The entire bar looked over to the door to find Denzel standing in the doorway with Marlene behind him. "It passed a lot of people before it came here."

"Where were you two?" Demanded Barret as he sprung from his seat and grabbed Marlene into his arms. "Did you see the fight?" Marlene nodded.

"You see?" Cid cried. "That goddamn Jenova was after _us_!"

All of AVALANCHE started murmuring amongst themselves. The Turks, too, were discussing the events.

Cloud got up from his seat and brushed a quick hand through his hair. "Enough." He said, in barely a yell, but it still made them hush nonetheless. With a quick glance at the clock, Cloud said, "It's late. We'll talk about this tomorrow."

"Cloud, I can have the WRO who are here in Edge patrol the city for the creatures." Cait Sith – or rather, Reeve – stated.

Cloud nodded approval.

"I can do the same with my soldiers." Rufus said. "Besides…I'm not sure I want to be killed tonight, anyways."

As much as Cloud didn't want to say it, he did. "Just in case…have them patrol around this bar and the Inn that everyone else will be staying at. If Jenova is really after us, they'll come to where we are most concentrated."

* * *

A cool nighttime breeze blew over Red XIII's head, manipulating his hairpin that was stuck firmly into his hair. The red wolf raised his head and swept the street with his eyes. Every now and then, he would spot a WRO or Shin-Ra-esque soldier patrolling the streets as they had been directed by their individual leaders. To be truthful, Red XIII could not figure out if Shin-Ra and the WRO were separate companies or if they were pretty much the same company. Best Red XIII could figure was that WRO was just a branch of Shin-Ra, and Shin-Ra was no longer the Planet-killing company it had once been. Really, it didn't matter to Red XIII as he realized that both companies' motives were for the better rather than the worse. 

Much like Red XIII's hairpin had done, Vincent's cape fluttered in the breeze. The ex-Turk stood with his arms crossed over his chest, his cape pulled over his shoulders and the wall behind him supporting his weight. Red XIII turned fully toward Vincent, whom was standing at the bottom of the stoop that Red XIII sat upon. If his could frown, that's exactly what he would have done as he watched the mysterious man stand there silently. His expression did not falter and he did not show a single sign of drowsiness.

"Vincent, why don't you sleep?"

A rare laugh came from his lips and Vincent shook his head. When he replied, he was grinning and spoke in a humorous tone. "I slept for thirty years, Nanaki. I'm fine."

"It's too bad that I can't say the same," Said a voice from behind Red XIII. "I feel like I've been _awake_ for thirty years."

Red XIII turned to see Cloud walking out onto the stoop, still dressed in the clothes he had been in all day. "Didn't you even try to sleep?"

"I _tried_…" Cloud replied as he sat down on the stoop next to Red XIII. "It just feels like there are too many things going on to sleep."

A silence fell over the trio. During this silent spell, several soldiers walked past, changing posts. Professionally they never turned their heads and continued silently on their way, except for one who acknowledged the group with a nod. During the silence, Red XIII also remembered what he had experienced just last night. Sometime during his sleep, he was woken by a scream. When he listened closer, Red XIII realized that it was the Planet, and it unnerved him even more when he considered that the Planet was crying out just a day after Sephiroth was defeated and thrown back into the Lifestream. Red XIII contemplated that maybe the Planet was having a hard time dealing with Sephiorth's troubled soul. Even in death he was insane…

"Cloud…" Red XIII started after a long breath. "I need to tell you something." Cloud turned to him silently, as did Vincent. "Last night, I heard the Planet screaming…and this happened just after Sephiroth was defeated again. It troubles me, Cloud. What if Sephiroth rebels against the Planet while he's in the Lifestream?" Red XIII looked up into the sky and continued as he gazed at the stars. "I know this sounds farfetched, and isn't even concrete, but what if Sephiroth hasn't given up his soul and is existing inside of the Lifestream in his whole solid form?" Red XIII took a sigh and looked at Vincent and then to Cloud. "Did that make any sense?"

Cloud nodded with a grin. "Keep going."

Red XIII looked back up to the sky and continued. "What if it is disturbing the Lifestream? What if he finds a way out, or the Lifestream forces him out?" Red XIII stopped there to allow his words to sink into the brains of Cloud and Vincent. It didn't take long for one of them to respond. Vincent pushed himself off of the wall and looked down the street absently.

"Your theory is sound." Vincent said in a low voice. "The Lifestream is exposed in Mideel…it's likely that if Sephiroth were to be forced out, that may be the spot the Lifestream would decide to take action."

The group fell silent again. Several more soldiers passed by. This time none of them looked toward the trio who were gathered outside of the Seventh Heaven Bar. As Red XIII looked up to the sky, a shooting star raced across the sky. When its tail disappeared a split second after the actual star, Red XIII looked back down to the ground and was silent still. After several moments passed, Red XIII decided that maybe that was the end of the conversation, but Cloud proved him wrong.

"Before Sephiroth and I fought, we talked…" He began, staring off across the street, but his eyes were cloudy. "He took notice that my Geostigma was gone – it was healed before I even fought with Kadaj. Anyways…he mentioned that whenever a person afflicted with Geostigma died and their soul entered the Lifestream, it would slowly corrode the Planet. Maybe all of those people that died – their souls, that is – are disturbing the Lifestream, too."

"It's all coming together…" Vincent mumbled. "The Jenova Symbiotes that we fought could very well have been the product of a Geostigma-afflicted soul escaping – or being forced out of – the Lifestream. As we know, Geostigma is – was – a result of Jenova cells gaining access to the human body. So, if Jenova Cells gain access to the Lifestream via a Geostigma-afflicted person…what would be the outcome?"

"Cloud! Choco Bill just called; he said that monsters are heading toward his ranch!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Final Fantasy VII**

**Rebirth**

A/N: Alright then, Chapter IV is here. School is goin' pretty good, the overall workload isn't that bad, and I'm able to work on this fic along with my other projects. Anyways, Chapter IV is pretty much nothing but one big fight scene, and the first REALLY big one in the fic. So, for those who are reading this, I'd appreciate reviews and opinions on how I did. The reviews let me know that people are enjoying the story, and will steer me in the right direction so PLEASE leave me a review when you have some criticism that you would like to share.

Another note, this is the longest chapter so far at 8044 words and eight pages according to Word. Haha...just boasting over here!

Enjoy Chapter IV.

* * *

**Chapter IV**

"Vincent, will you come with me?" Cloud asked, not sparing a second as he rushed out of the front door of the Seventh Heaven Bar while strapping First Tsurugi to his back and pulling keys from his pocket at the same time.

"I will."

Cloud nodded, "Good." Cloud turned to Red XIII, having finished securing his large sword to his back, he said, "Red XIII, go fetch Reno, Rude, and Tseng and tell them to come to the Chocobo Ranch. Explain the situation to them and everyone else." Cloud then turned to Tifa after having singled out the key for Fenrir from the other keys on his ring. "Take everyone else – Rufus and Elena included – to Mideel. I'll call in after we're done at the Ranch. Stay in Mideel, and stay alert. Anything can happen." Cloud's last words were serious. Although none of them were sure of the situation, he didn't want to take any chances. Better safe than sorry, as they say.

"What about you two?" Tifa called as Cloud mounted Fenrir. "Do you need more help?"

Cloud shook his head. "We'll be fine." Vincent climbed onto the motorbike also, both of them not skipping a beat as they were perfectly fine with the position due to the circumstances. "Just hurry!" And with that, Cloud and Vincent roared away on Fenrir.

Left worrying, Tifa turned to Red XIII, but the red animal was already running down the street toward the Inn that the Turks and everybody else was lodging at. Feeling helpless and her heart racing, Tifa went next door to ask Sheryl to watch the kids and the bar while she was gone.

Although Fenrir was extremely fast, it still took all of four hours before the Ranch was even a small dot on the horizon. By then, dawn was just a few minutes away. The closer Fenrir and its passengers came, the more detail on the ranch became clearer. Oddly enough, Cloud didn't remember the Ranch having a very thick tree line – and then the 'tree line's' details became clearer. The little black spots that had looked like trees became black spots shaped like beings.

"Damn…" Cloud whispered. "Vincent, do you see that?" When no reply came, Cloud looked back over his shoulder to see Vincent loading Cerberus, and with a wish of luck, Vincent leapt off of Cerberus and was gone up into the night sky. Gritting his teeth, Cloud remembered his fight with Sephiroth less than three days ago, and wondered if all of these things were in fact Jenova Symbiotes as he unsheathed his sword. Fenrir did not falter even as Cloud shifted his weight. Instead, the beast of a motorbike continued forth, ripping up earth under its reinforced tires and leaving a trail.

Steering Fenrir with a single hand, Cloud raised First Tsurugi and focused on the group of creatures he was closing in on. With a quick twitch of the handlebar, Fenrir veered to the right and was on a direct path with one of the creatures that were up ahead. It was less than one hundred meters away now. Cloud twisted the throttle further and Fenrir roared with power. Fifty meters. Forty. Thirty. Several reports sounded out across the otherwise silent grasslands. Cloud could see numerous bright flashes in the distance that were no doubt from the barrels of Cerberus – and then Cloud was less then ten meters away from the line of monsters that were about as tall as he.

His jaw tightened, and he hit the brake and jerked his body forward forcing Fenrir onto its front wheel and at the same time Cloud pulled himself to the right and made Fenrir swivel around on its front tire while keeping the gas down. A monster cried out as the swinging back tire of Fenrir crashed into the creature, the steel rings on the spinning tire eating into the monster before Fenrir crashed to the ground. With First Tsurugi raised, Cloud hit the gas and Fenrir leapt forward with a cry of deafening power. Swinging the impossibly large sword, Cloud cut into the torsos of several monsters as he swerved between them, the satisfying cry of their pain ringing out over Fenrir.

Repeating the maneuver he had performed before, Cloud attempted to knock another creature out with his back tire. This time, however, he was not as successful and the tire just barely missed the creature and landed on the ground with a _thud_. With a blood-curdling howl, the creature swung at Cloud and knocked him from Fenrir. First Tsurugi flew from his hand and he hit the ground hard. In the very little illumination provided by the lights around the ranch that was still quite far away, Cloud saw the creatures silhouette hover above him.

* * *

Vincent landed soundlessly in a crouch and quickly brought Cerberus up and level with the back of one of the monsters' heads and fired. The report of the three bullets being fired at once was even louder in the deafening quietness of the Chocobo Ranch grasslands. The creature's skull exploded and its headless body collapsed to the ground. With an enhanced sense of his surroundings, Vincent swung Cerberus around to his right and pulled the trigger twice, a total of six bullets were sent flying, their destination about ten yards away. Without a second of hesitation he turned to the left and fired and then leapt up into the air just as a creature lunged forward at him. 

While in the air, Vincent pointed Cerberus down to the creature that was now laying face down ten feet below him. Vincent fired two more times before landing on the things back and putting Cerberus' triple barrel against the back of the things cranium. Before liberating the creature of its head, Vincent studied it carefully for a second. It took no longer than that to realize what it was - and then he pulled the trigger. Back flipping off of the corpse of the creature that he now knew to be a Jenova Symbiote, Vincent spun around and swept the fields in front of him with Cerberus, but there was nothing. He didn't pay much attention to the silhouette of a mountain off in the distance towards the Ranch.

Vincent spun around and spotted a group of the Symbiotes, and the glimmer of a sword on the ground but with no one around. With his enhanced eyesight – one among many other things Hojo had given to Vincent while he was still in a lifeless state – he could see clearly through the dark night. Several Symbiotes had gathered around a fallen Cloud who was fending off their attacks with his large sword. Mentally counting the shots he had fired off – a total of five, three bullets each – Vincent cracked down the barrel of Cerberus and reloaded it with impossible speed. Flinging the gun upward, the barrel clicked shut and Vincent pulled his crimson cape around his body. In a way that even he could only explain as some sort of alternate space, his body became one with the article of clothing he wore and he was quickly zipping across the field toward the Jenova creatures in a blur of red.

For the second time in the last few days, Vincent's cape covered Cloud's body and effectively hoisted Cloud from the ground. Once he was successfully over the line of Jenova creatures in a single bound, Vincent set Cloud down and zipped back into the middle of the Symbiotes. The red cape that he had become one with swirled for several seconds before Vincent removed the cape from around his body, a burst of flames spurting out in all directions from beneath the red material in the process. From it, Vincent rose several feet into the air on the pillar of fire that stunned several of the Symbiotes. Aiming down at the creatures, Vincent opened fire while the momentum from the fire kept him suspended in midair for several seconds. By the time he fell back to the ground, Cerberus needed to be reloaded and two of the Symbiotes had been slain.

From the corner of his eye, Vincent spotted Cloud charging one of the Symbiotes with his sword raised high. Quickly, Vincent focused on the enemies around him as he quickly reloaded Cerberus. As he closed the barrel, the 'click' attracted the attention of a Symbiote that Vincent had somehow failed to detect. As Vincent rose to his feet and swiveled around, he was hit hard in the chest by the arm of one of the creatures. Still in midair, Vincent aimed and fired twice. All but one of the six bullets slipped past their mark, his accuracy thrown way off due to not having a center of gravity to level him and steady his shot. With incredible speed, the Symbiote lunged forward in the same second, the flash from Cerberus' barrels illuminating the deformed face of the Jenova Creature. Discolored skin that seemed to be wrapped tightly around a face that had no nose and only one small slit for an eye shined glossily in the darkness. Both arms were stretched out, made of wiry muscle with no skin, topped with un-proportional claws that were as long as Vincent's forearm. A gaping mouth with two rows of razor sharp, jagged, fangs was displayed to him, the dark hole that was its throat wanting to swallow Vincent into its abyss.

* * *

Cloud spun around, wildly slashing at whatever was close enough to him to be hit. A liquid spurted out of a Symbiote's body, one which was not blood, but was actually millions of Jenova Cells. The creature screamed in agony, but Cloud slashed again, this time the Symbiote fell backwards. But there was no time for rest as there was another charging at him. With reflexes there were unmatched by any human – thanks to the Jenova Cells within him and the Materia that further enhanced his abilities – Cloud brought up First Tsurugi and stopped four claws from tearing his face off. The Symbiote was strong, so strong that Cloud was surprised it was not a 'full' Jenova creature. Unlike the creatures he had fought before, which were made of many colonies of Jenova Cells, this one was made up of mere Jenova Cell remnants that had disbanded from a much larger group. To be simple about it, all of these creatures were just tiny fractions of something that had been much larger and stronger. 

Still, though, it was strong. Cloud finally managed to push the creature away, but with that he opened himself up for an attack by the Symbiote. Within that split second that he was open, the Symbiote's arm snapped forward, keenly recognizing the opportunity. Luckily, the monsters claws bounced off of Cloud's shoulder guard with a metallic 'clank'. Just as the Symbiote had done, Cloud saw that moment of opportunity and brought First Tsurugi down onto the things arm, successfully ripping the appendage in two. From there, Cloud brought First Tsurugi up in a diagonal left-to-right slash that cut deep into the Symbiotes chest. Not hesitating, Cloud lunged forward and buried First Tsurugi into the creature's abdomen. First Tsurugi went completely through the creature, a spray of fluids wetting the swords blade. A swift, solid, kick dislodged the creature's body from Cloud's sword and yet another Jenova Symbiote was ready to fight.

Feeding off of the momentum from his last encounter, Cloud ran forward at full speed, First Tsurugi in his right hand, its tip splitting the dirt as it trailed behind him. The creature seemed to square itself, and fell into what appeared to be an offensive stance. At the last possible moment, Cloud detected the Symbiote's next move and he leapt straight into the air at a ninety degree angle, something that was impossible to do at such speeds without Materia or other enhancements. Caught in a state of surprise, the Symbiote stood, confused, until the very moment that Cloud's sword crashed down upon its skull. Cloud landed powerfully, one knee on the ground, and looked up just in time to see the Symbiote fall into two pieces onto the ground with a wet thump, split directly down the middle thanks to the clean cut First Tsurugi had made. An effective, yet very simple technique Cloud had picked up sometime in his life and had used often during the early days of his adventure with Avalanche.

Without warning, the entire field lit up in red light. The air became several degrees warmer, and Cloud detected the source on his left. A smoking corpse lay in front of Vincent, whom was lying on the ground, with Cerberus pointed at the Symbiote that was burnt a charcoal black. Surprisingly, it's arm twitched and Vincent didn't hesitate in burying three rounds in its skull, after which the Symbiotes body dissipated into liquid that eventually melted away into nothingness.

"Vincent, are you okay?" Cloud queried, recognizing that Vincent had used a Flare magic.

Getting to his feet, Vincent dusted off his clothing and gave a stern nod. "It was a last resort…" He explained, referring to the fiery spell that he had cast in order to – evidently – save his life. Looking off into the distance, Vincent said in a low voice, "The sun rises."

Cloud turned around to see the golden beams of light rising up over the silhouette of the Midgar Mountain Range that surrounded the Marsh. A quick look around revealed that the creatures had all been killed, the fields were empty as if nothing had ever even been there. "That's strange…" Cloud started, remembering his fighting with the Symbiotes, "At most, I killed ten of them."

"My count is similar."

"There was more here then that…"

"I agree." Vincent concurred as he took stand next to Cloud. With wise eyes, Vincent silently scanned the fields, then after some thought he mumbled, "They are gathering…"

Cloud silently agreed with Vincent's theory as he tightened his grip on First Tsurugi. Alert, Mako-infused, blue eyes scanned the plains. As the sun rose slowly higher, indicating the passing minutes, Cloud did not falter in his search for any signs of the Jenova creatures. But as time continued to creep past, Cloud relaxed a bit and lowered First Tsurugi. "Maybe they retrea -"

"_Quiet_!" The ex-Turk commanded. He had raised Cerberus and was listening intently, his blood-red eyes focused on the Midgar Marsh. "Cloud, do you hear it?"

Not doubting Vincent's ability to hear things that he could not, Cloud lifted his sword again and listened carefully. At first, there was nothing, but then he heard it: a sound like unsettled ocean waters. And then dark objects rose up from the marsh. These objects were nothing more but black silhouettes, as they were facing away from the sun. But slowly, Cloud recognized them as fingers, each of them half the height of himself, as they grasped the muddy edges of the marsh. They sunk deep into the mud, but slowly and surely the incredibly large hands hoisted a towering beast from the murky marsh waters. The shoulder-span of the creature was the length of a house. With slow movement, the creature finally crawled fully out of the marsh and was standing at the edge of it, its shadow cast further across the fields than Cloud cared to know. In his day, Cloud had seen much larger creatures, but it did not make this one any less intimidating.

Lifting its massive arms and flexing its clawed hands, the creature opened its mouth and let out a bellowing screech that could be heard miles away. Its skin was a dark purple, its eyes small and white. The head, by all means, appeared small compared to the rest of its body. The creature's torso was somewhat small however, dwarfed by the massive shoulders that branched off of it and the equally massive arms that reminded Cloud more of tentacles as they hung down to the monsters legs.

"Jenova Cells at their finest…" Vincent said gravely. Although it did not remind Cloud of any of the Jenova Symbiote's he had fought, he still thought that the theory was very logical. "Cloud…are you ready?"

"Let's go." Cloud replied and lunged forward, Vincent already far ahead of him. With First Tsurugi reared back, Cloud looked for a path he could take to reach the things head, the place he imagined it to be weakest at. Dodging tree-sized arms, Cloud decided that they would be the easiest way up. Zigzagging toward the Symbiote, Cloud leapt to the right to avoid the falling arm, dust and debris exploding into the sky as the arm crashed down onto the ground. Changing direction, Cloud ran straight for the arm. Just as the Symbiote was raising the appendage, Cloud leapt and buried First Tsurugi deep into what would be the monsters forearm.

Flailing the appendage wildly, the Symbiote attempted to shake Cloud from its arm. Holding tight to First Tsurugi's handle, Cloud waited for the right moment to pull the sword from the creatures' arm and that sent Cloud sailing down toward its head. Separating one of the secondary swords from the main sword, Cloud stabbed the secondary into the creature's body. His fall was a little off, and Cloud had landed on the things shoulder. Flailing wildly again, the monster turned its head to Cloud and growled. Narrowing his eyes, Cloud raised First Tsurugi's main blade and in the same moment he slashed across the creature's mouth, successfully ripping open its right cheek in a messy spurt of Jenova Cell blood. In flailing pain, the monster brought its right arm up and swatted at Cloud, who jumped away at the last possible moment, dislodging the secondary sword as he went up into the air.

The monsters swatting left it open to several shots by Vincent, each hitting the creature somewhere around the neck. In midair, Cloud recombined the two swords, and prepared himself for the fall back to the ground. Cloud had not anticipated what would come next, however, and in a quick movement, the Symbiote reached out with its left arm, completely ignoring Vincent, and managed to wrap its impossibly large fingers around Cloud's lower body.

"Damn!" Was Cloud's word of choice as the creature wrapped its large fingers around Cloud's body. Arms still free, Cloud raised First Tsurugi in both hands and stabbed down into the Symbiote's fingers. In a painful howl, the creature's grip tightened and Cloud screamed in pain. Then suddenly everything was moving past him in a blur as the Symbiote raised its arm high into the air and then thrust it downwards the next second, propelling Cloud to the ground. Cloud was not able to stop the immense momentum of the throw and all he could do was brace himself for impact.

* * *

Reno found himself a little weary about going to save Cloud and the ex-Turks' asses from a bunch of little monsters. As he sat in the back seat of Tseng's car, he loaded up a backup handgun just in case his prod proved useless. Up to this point, it never had, and Reno very seldom used his handgun. Up front, Rude was loading both his own and Tseng's handguns. All three of the guns were Shin-Ra technology at their best. Reno didn't know shit about how they were made, but he just knew that the bullets that came out packed a punch. In fact, compared to the standard 9 M.M., these Shin-Ra handguns (aptly nicknamed "The Turk Special") had a higher chance of a one-shot kill then a nine-millimeter handgun due to the speed that the bullet moved, the size of the bullet (about one-eighth of an inch bigger than a nine-millimeter round), and the impact created by it. Actually, The Turk Special beat the nine-millimeter by about a five to one ratio. 

"So…what do you think there's gonna' be, hmm?" Reno leaned forward in his seat so that he had positioned his head in the middle of Tseng and Rude. "Some Elfadunks? Maybe a Levrikon or two?" Elfadunks were the sky-blue creatures that roamed the grasslands around the Chocobo Ranch. They were somewhat like mini-elephants, but were barely stronger than an average human. Levrikon's were the ugly black bird-things with the pink heads, also not very strong.

Tseng turned to Reno and raised an eyebrow. "You _weren't _just being an asshole?" Tseng turned away from Reno to watch the road. "You_ really_ weren't listening were, you?"

Reno shrugged. "I heard the word monsters, so I figured it's just another monster clean-up job…"

"You didn't hear what the dog had to say?" Rude asked.

"What dog?"

"Cloud's friend." Rude replied. "The talking red wolf…uh…thing."

Reno snickered. "Hell no…didn't hear a thing."

Tseng blew out a long and exaggerated sigh. "When will you start being more professional?" Tseng stopped talking momentarily to take the handgun that Rude had loaded for him and laid it on his lap. "The dog – Red XIII – said that there may be Jenova Symbiote's attacking the Ranch. He, Vincent, and Cloud came up with a theory that Sephiroth is somehow upsetting the Lifestream and so are the souls of those who died from Geostigma. As you know, Geostigma is a result of Jenova Cells entering a human's body." Tseng looked sharply into the rear view mirror at Reno as the red-head plopped himself down into the back seat. "Are you listening?" Reno affirmed Tseng's question, and the Turk leader continued. "Red XIII seems to think that the Lifestream is pushing the Jenova Cells out of its current wherever there may be an exit point, as a result, the Jenova Cells are gathering and forming into organisms."

"Shit…so you're saying that we're going to go fight Sephiroth's mom?" Reno queried.

"It's more complicated then that." Tseng explained. "The Jenova Cells, as Red XIII explained, are probably disorganized and maybe even injured from being in the Lifestream. Together, they are much stronger, but in this form they are like the one we fought in Healin. While still a formidable opponent, they _can_ be defeated."

Reno sighed and looked down at his handgun, troubled by the fact that this wouldn't be as easy as he'd thought. Cursing beneath his breath, Reno jammed the handgun into his shoulder holster beneath his suit jacket.

"Son of a bitch!"

Reno looked up quickly, and strained his eyes to see what Tseng saw. In the dim light of daybreak, Reno could see something large in the distance. "You gotta be shittin' me!" The red-head exclaimed. "We're fighting _that_!?"

In the distance, the thing raised its long arms high into the air, and let out a monstrous roar that made Reno wince. Tseng pushed the accelerator harder, and the details of the monstrosity became clearer. Its indigo body had a slim abdomen, but its chest and shoulders flared out at an impossibly large span. From it, two large arms branched out, ending in slender fingers that were about three feet long. Its waist was only slightly bigger than its abdomen, and the gargantuan legs that sprouted from it were somewhat deformed as one seemed thicker then the other.

Closer and the form of Vincent could be seen as he was dancing around on the ground, firing off shots whose reports were drained out by the cars engine. The blonde-haired Cloud was taking a different approach however, dodging the monsters arms and eventually clinging onto one of the appendages.

"_Get ready!_" Tseng warned in a commanding voice as the three Turks watched Cloud being flung throughout the air. Eventually his form could be seen falling down upon the Jenova Symbiote, and as he attacked it, the creature fought back. Swinging one of its massive arms around, the creature attempted to swat Cloud but failed as Cloud leapt into the air and away from the creature while Vincent discharged several bullets.

Reno stood up in the back seat, planting his feet firmly and raised the handgun. He aimed careful with his right eye, steadied the handgun – and Tseng suddenly hit the accelerator harder and the car jerked forward, pulling Reno back down into the back seat. "Damn it, boss!" Reno screamed, clambering out of the floor of the backseat. Before he could bite Tseng's head off, Rude was yelling,

"Watch it!"

Reno snapped his head up just in time to see Cloud rocketing down toward him. In a scurry, Reno got out of the way and Cloud plummeted down onto the seat, all one hundred some pounds slamming down hard. Momentarily, Tseng lost control of the car but managed to straighten out quickly enough as the four passed right beneath the Jenova monster, Vincent's shots loud and clear as they sped past.

"Damn!" Reno cocked an eyebrow and climbed up into the seat. "You okay?"

Cloud moaned a bit but then pulled himself up. "I'll be alright," he mumbled, wincing.

Tseng looked in the rearview mirror, and with a warning to hang on, he turned the wheel sharply and hit the e-brake at the same time. The silver convertible did a quick one-eighty, throwing Reno into the floor, but Cloud had found something to hold onto. As soon as the convertible had made the complete turn, Tseng hit the gas. Dirt and grass was dug up in their wake as the shiny silver car sped back toward the Jenova monster.

"You ready partner?" Rude asked, fixing his sunglasses and pulling out his handgun.

"Soon as I find the gun!" Reno cried from the floor of the backseat. When he found it, the redhead jumped up out of the floor and squatted on the backseat. "You can fight still, Spiky?" He asked, jamming the gun into the front of his pants.

Cloud looked up and nodded, gripping his huge sword with one hand as he, too, took a similar position as Reno. Without warning, Tseng hit the brake once more and turned the car sideways at the same time. At the same time, Cloud and Reno jumped out of the backseat and sprinted toward the Jenova Symbiote. Raising his prod high, Reno screamed wildly and leapt forward to latch onto the back of the Symbiote's leg. His climbing skills were quite good and he quickly found a few crannies that he could grip easily as he quickly scaled the body of the monster. Apparently, it was distracted because it did not detect Reno all the way up until the point that Reno found a place in its chest with a pretty hefty cavity by accident. The cavity was gooey, as if it was a hole in the creature's torso that was left unchecked when the Jenova Cell's were coming together into one being.

Smirking, Reno jammed his prod inside as hard as he could. The cavity was only about as deep as half of his prod, and Reno found that it wasn't hard to penetrate. The creature screamed, but before it could react, Reno pumped all the thousands of volts into the monsters chest. The electric charge itself was enough to stop the human heart – hell, fry it actually – so it had to have some kind of effect on this thing. Evidently, it did, as the creature lurched in pain.

"Reno!"

Reno looked over his shoulder and saw Vincent, his gun pointed at him. "_HEY_!"

"_Move_!"

Reno didn't hesitate and climbed further up the creature as it stumbled in pain. Vincent fired off several shots, and a quick look down explained that Vincent had detected the Symbiote's weak spot and wasn't trying to shoot Reno. Further up the monster, the Turk found himself just inches from the creatures face. "Hey!" The creature did not respond and with a quick, strong, hoist, Reno pulled himself up directly in the face of the creature and bashed it with his prod. Compared to his first strike, it had little effect other then angering the Symbiote.

Pushing off of his attack, Reno fell back to the ground and landed in a crouch. Vincent also landed beside him and acknowledged Reno for finding the weak spot. Reno shrugged. "All in a days work." Vincent did not take to the joke, but instead reloaded his gun and leapt away and into the air. Reno watched him, snarling, he mumbled, "Asshole." As Reno climbed to his feet, he spotted Cloud leaping from the Symbiote's right arm, to the other, and back again, each time delivering a blow with his sword. Then, unexpectedly, Tseng's silver convertible raced right past Reno.

Rude was standing up in his seat, handgun aimed and level at the creature, and fired off shot after shot in rapid succession. Reno attempted to scream 'shoot its chest' but decided that they probably wouldn't have heard. Sighing, Reno tested the electro shock on the prod once more and then sprinted toward the monster again.

* * *

In the west, the sun was rising, casting light over Fort Condor which the _Shera _had just passed on its way to Mideel. Due to flying by gasoline, the _Shera _was much faster than the _Highwind_, which ran on Mako energy that was now a thing of the past. Although Mako _was _pretty much the ultimate energy source in its day, when used in engines the process took a very long time for the Mako to actually create any output in order to move whatever vehicle it was being used in. Gasoline, on the other hand, had a much shorter process. 

With Barret's discovery of oil and the finding of its uses as an alternate energy source when it was refined into gasoline – thanks to Reeve – the world was slowly opening its eyes. Combined the superior technology of the WRO and Cid's own mechanical intellect, he was also able to manufacture what he called an internal-combustion engine that created energy much faster than the Mako engines which worked solely by – simply said – a rotating motion that provided energy to generators. Both men were well on their way to financial success, and Tifa couldn't be happier for them. She, too, was doing well thanks to the success of her Seventh Heaven Bar and Cloud's _Strife Delivery Service, _and to be truthful, everyone else was doing just fine, also.

Reeve was now the head of WRO, which was great for him and the world, too. Yuffie was overcoming her air and sea sickness and at the same time was finding ways to help Wutai improve and even working a third job by gathering intel and the like for the WRO. Vincent, by all means, was doing just fine and Tifa doubted that he cared a lot about his financial stature. Red XIII had raised to a prominent position in his hometown, boasting the same popularity as his father, the hero of Cosmo Canyon. As for Elena and the other Turks, she was sure that their position in Shin-Ra was providing them with good finances although Tifa racked her brain trying to figure out with the _Turks _could do for a company set on making things right. As for Rufus Shin-Ra…well, he was the President of Shin-Ra, and although the company had experienced quite a decline, it just barely dented Rufus' finances.

"Whoever thought we'd be working side-by-side…"

Tifa turned away from the front of the _Shera _where she had been staring out at the passing land. _Speak of the Devil. _"Rufus."

The young President nodded a greeting and stood next to Tifa. He was looking straight-ahead as if he was enjoying the scenery along with her, but his eyes were distant. "Isn't it ironic?" He finally asked with a grin.

"Is what ironic?" Tifa asked, turning fully toward Rufus.

Rufus folded his hands calmly behind him, and continued to look forward. "That Shin-Ra and AVALANCHE are in the same airship. That we aren't at each others necks with swords – or guns, whichever you prefer."

"I like fists, thanks." Tifa deadpanned.

"Right."

Tifa took a breath and turned to look out at the scenery again as the _Shera _sped over Gaia. "Well, you're not all complete assholes now that you're not killing the Planet."

Rufus shifted uncomfortably. "Yes, I've come to realize the errors of my company's ways as of late."

Tifa shrugged, "I really don't hold any one person accountable, though…I mean, especially not you. You weren't in control when the Sector 7 plate came down."

"My father…he was…" Rufus trailed off, thinking of the right adjective to describe the father that he had wanted dead for so long before Sephiroth stuck his blade through the fat bastard.

"…an asshole?" Tifa finished with a grin.

Rufus chuckled wholeheartedly. "That sums it up, but I was looking more for something like pompous…He thought that he could do anything to get what he wanted, and worst of all he knew that he'd get away with it in the end." Rufus frowned. "But don't get me wrong – I've committed my fair share of sins in my lifetime in order to get what I wanted. I'm no better then he, nor any less guilty."

Tifa nodded understandingly, but put a hand on the blonde-haired mans shoulder, sensing his worry. "It's okay. At least you are trying to change. He was that way until Sephiroth killed him."

Rufus cleared his throat, feeling a bit uncomfortable discussing his ways and changed the subject. "These…_things _that Cloud and the others are going to go fight, they are Jenova, correct?"

"There's a possibility, according to Red…Could be remnants of a bigger Jenova being, or something like that anyways. It's kind of complex, but don't get worried, there's only a fifty-fifty chance that its actually Jenova Symbiotes and not some regular monsters on the hunt for Chocobo's."

"Worried?" Rufus asked amusedly. "Tseng, Reno, and Rude know what they are doing…what about you? Are you worried about Cloud?"

Tifa grinned arrogantly. "He knows what he's doing. A few Jenova monsters here, and a few Sephiroth's there, Cloud can handle it."

Rufus laughed at the joke and started away. "Elena and I are having coffee in the lounge with the others. Come join us and get away from the old Shin-Ra pilot."

Cid, who had been quiet up until this point from his place on the elevated control terminal, looked down and took a long drag of his cigarette. "This old Shin-Ra pilot made a lot of advancement's for your daddy, young man. Hell, you might be lookin' at a superior if you factor in all the shit I did for your company, so maybe you can show some respect, huh?" Cid smirked and took another drag of his cigarette, and with a wink he added, "And anyways, I'm the pilot of this ship and the walk back to Healin is a long one from Mideel…"

The Shin-Ra President laughed again on his way up the steps. "I'll remember that, Captain." He said sarcastically, patting Cid on the shoulder as he walked past the pilot in order to get to the exit.

Tifa followed up the steps, stopping momentarily on her way to the exit as she turned to Cid. "You'll be okay in here alone, Cid?"

Cid laughed and turned around to face Tifa with a grin. "Honey, when you're a pilot all you need is your ship. I'll be fine – don't worry about me and go have a good time."

Tifa nodded understandingly with a grin. "See you in a bit?"

"Only a few more hours." Cid replied. On her way out, Cid stopped Tifa before she could leave. "Hey! Do me a favor…" Cid turned around to face her once more after smoking the last bit of his cigarette. His face was completely serious now, deep lines of unyieldingness forming on his features. "…and tell those bastards not to spill coffee on the carpets, okay?"

"Okay," Tifa replied with a laugh before exiting the cockpit.

* * *

Cloud was just barely able to block an incoming set of claws with First Tsurugi as the monster violently lashed out. The impact sent Cloud flying to the ground, but he was able to land cleanly without any incident. Cloud scanned the creature; its head still looking like the most vulnerable spot to attack, but Cloud knew that he'd have to play hell getting there. Just as Cloud was rising to his feet, Vincent landed next to him, momentarily stopping the fighting to reload Cerberus. 

"Any luck?" Cloud asked, not taking his eyes away from the form of the Symbiote. Reno was busy clinging to the things torso.

Vincent locked the barrel of Cerberus and gave a stern nod. "Reno found a weak spot." The ex-Turk replied, "On its chest there is a hole. It's very vulnerable there."

Cloud nodded understanding and the red-caped man sprinted back toward the fight, and Cloud followed suit. First Tsurugi trailing behind him, Cloud mentally searched his arsenal before finally finding the right thing. Blade gleaming with energy, Cloud focused on the things chest, quickly finding the cavity that Vincent was talking about. Finally, Cloud leapt up into the sky, Materia aiding him in gaining elevation. His leap was timed perfectly as Cloud thrust his blade forward and into the cavity of the creature with all of the momentum from his jump at the tip of his sword. The Symbiote reeled in pain as First Tsurugi skewered its chest. To cause greater damage, Cloud found footing on a crevice in the monsters torso and pulled First Tsurugi straight up through the monsters body as Cloud leapt straight up into the air, splitting its chest open like paper. The Climhazzard skill still seemed to be effective after all of these years.

Cloud landed in a crouch about fifty feet away from the monster. Black fluids were pouring from its newly inflicted wound, and Vincent was not wasting any time in taking advantage. Reno fired off several shots in the distance from his handgun, while Tseng and Rude did the same from their convertible. Stumbling in pain from the multiple wounds to its overly exposed weak point, the Jenova Symbiote exploded in an unearthly scream of pain, and suddenly there was a green aura surrounding its body. Small glimmers in the aura suggested that it was readying a magic spell.

Vincent and Reno seemed to have caught on to this also, and as it happened, they were retreating. Cloud climbed to his feet quickly, just in time to see a sphere of light forming just in front of the monster. From the sphere, shafts of light spread outward and the ball of bright light grew larger. Cloud promptly recognized the spell and fled, as it was the only thing that he knew to do in this event, and not having a Reflect Materia with him didn't help the cause very much.

Suddenly the ground was rocking and the air was filled with a thick green gas. A sound like a dull siren was slowly building into an ear-piercing blare that was something similar to nails scratching a chalk-board and being amplified by the most powerful set of speakers in the world. The gas, as Cloud knew well, was more than what it appeared. Just as he escaped it, the blaring sound grew louder and just several feet behind him the actual ground was being torn apart by the powerful Ultima spell.

In the knick of time, Vincent grabbed Reno by his shirt collar and escaped the gases before both men could be devoured by it. The gases combusted, causing the actual air to explode along with anything within it. blast sent all three men to the ground as the exploding gases pulverized the chunks of earth and rock to dust from the entire ten-thousand square-feet of land that the spell unearthed.

Dust and tiny sand-grain-sized pieces of rock rained down on top of the three men. As Cloud rolled off of his stomach and sat up, he saw the destruction first hand. During their adventures, AVALANCHE used the Ultima spell all but a couple times, and each time it shocked them and at a certain level horrified them that such a powerful materia existed. In the wrong hands, the Ultima spell could level a small village in several minutes. The picture before Cloud was similar to what was left after he had used it against Diamond Weapon – as a sort of last resort since AVALANCHE's weapons had very little effect on the beast – except that the range of the spell had been doubled. The ground had been torn from the Planet, forming a wide, jagged fault that was fifty feet deep. There was no debris, however, besides very small particles of what was left of the crushed rock and ground and the cloud of dust that veiled everything on the other side of the crater.

Lying just on the outside of the fault, in fact teetering over the edge was a mangled chunk of steel. All of its past shape was effectively obliterated, but close inspection – and the lack of anything else made of metal in the area – revealed it to be the Turks' convertible. All paint having been burnt off, the metal was blackened from the fire that the spell had caused. No other features were clearly visible in the hunk of twisted metal that lay a few hundred feet away.

"No!" Upon Cloud's realization, Reno sprang up from his sitting position as he had apparently seen the wreckage also. "Rude! Tseng!" Reno continued hollering, screaming out in anger and cursing everything that he could think of. Cloud and Vincent both got up, retrieving their weapons that both had lost during the explosion. During Reno's tantrum, the dust from the spell began to settle, a large curtain of it slowly evaporating on the other side of the Materia-created fault, only to reveal the form of the Jenova Symbiote on the other side.

"You_ SONUVABITCH!" _Reno retrieved his riot prod and started off toward the Symbiote, not caring about how big it was.

"Reno!" Vincent seized Reno by the shoulder, glaring at the creature with disdain. "You can't do anything to it alone." Like a slap in the face, Reno stopped and dropped his prod as the realization hit him. In the distance, the creature howled in triumph, raising its massive arms, apparently satisfied by the destruction it had caused. "Let's think over a plan, and we'll eliminate it together."

"Hey, partner, you miss me?" Reno whirled around, facing brightening he laid eyes on the form of Rude who was holding some sort of assault rifle. Behind him was Tseng, who had a sort of rocket launcher resting on his shoulder. "Tseng and I barely had time to escape. Couldn't save the car, but we got these bad boys."

Reno saved the hugs and all that for later. Instead, in a nonchalant, somewhat cocky and smart-assed tone, Reno asked: "The hell are they?"

"Rude's holding a PR-18 Assault Rifle. The firepower behind it allows the bullet to penetrate an Adamantaimai's shell with ease." The Adamantaimai was a huge monstrosity that was actually a Mako-poisoned tortoise that grew to the size of a small house. The shells were notoriously known to be as hard as steel, and some scientists and the like – including those in Shin-Ra – actually studied its uses as armor and housing. Reno remembered the encounter he Elena and Rude had had with one of the Admantaimai's on the West Continent's beach, namely near Wutai.

"Yeah…what about that thing?" Reno asked, pointing at the launcher that Tseng had on his shoulder.

"It's exactly what it looks like…" The launcher itself looked like a standard bazooka, except that the cannon was just a little bigger than a basketball. "It's like any other launcher except that the ammo is exactly twelve inches in diameter and features a device that allows it, not only to be homed in on a certain object, but to also latch onto whatever it connects with and detonate with a second push of the triggering device."

Rude laughed a little bit. "It's kind of like the Sister Ray's little sibling…if you know what I mean."

Reno smirked, remembering the immensely powerful Mako-powered cannon that Shin-Ra had used to destroy Diamond Weapon – and Sephiroth's barrier – with.

"Let's not waste time." Vincent interrupted, red eyes watching the form of the Jenova Symbiote. "Although it is unmoving, it may be readying another Ultima spell."

Reno sprinted back toward the group, more or less to get out of the way of Tseng's launcher, and grinned from ear-to-ear. "Yeah, what he said. Let's see what that thing's made of."

Not wasting time, Tseng handed the launcher off to Rude after explaining that his injuries from two years ago – thanks to Sephiroth's sword – wouldn't allow him to fire the weapon without pulling something. Rude took the weapon promptly and lowered himself to one knee. Hoisting the weapon up onto his shoulder, Rude found a button with his free hand that made a small screen flip up from the side of the launcher. The little screen lit up, and Rude was able to see an aiming reticule appear on the monitor.

"Aim for its chest. That is its weak point." Vincent instructed.

Rude did just that, slightly adjusting the angle he was holding the launcher and at the same time allowed the aiming reticule to settle on the hole – and Cloud-inflicted gash – on its chest. Rude pushed a button, a beep confirming that the device had locked on. A small meter appeared on the screen, rising quickly in percentage as the launcher gathered the information needed to allow the rocket to hit its target exactly where Rude had placed the reticule. To Rude's surprise, the machine he held read things like wind speed and direction and calculated the rocket's path.

"Quickly!" Vincent warned, "It's readying another!"

Just as a green aura grew around the Symbiote, the little meter read "**100 Percent…Ready to fire.**" Rude hit the 'fire' button that replaced the trigger on the older models of launchers, and the 12-inch rocket exploded out of the tip of the launcher. The recoil sent Rude to the ground, and the now-unloaded launcher out of his hands. In the blink of an eye, the projectile found its target, hitting dead on and burying itself in the cavity of the Symbiote. The creature faltered, screaming in surprise as its green aura vanished.

Rude scrambled to grab the launcher again and mumbled, "This is for boss' car," before hitting the fire button again.

Instantly, there was an explosion. First fire and black smoke spilled out of the hole in the Symbiote's chest, and not a half-second later the creature's body exploded in a mass of black fluids, chunks of slimy meat, fire, and black smoke. All that was left was its legs, two appendages with no body. Flaming pieces of the creature fell from the sky, the explosion successfully killing off the Jenova Cells as the chunks of creature disappeared into nothingness. For a moment the legs stumbled around but it was not long before they, too, fell and dissolved.

Reno sighed a breath of relief and turned to Tseng, who looked relatively pleased with the outcome of the launcher. Reno frowned and said, "Next time, maybe you can tell us about these types of things earlier, eh boss? Beats the hell out of bustin' our asses when we coulda' just blew the damn thing up with one hit."


	5. Chapter 5

**Final Fantasy VII**

**Rebirth**

A/N: Alright, so maybe Chapter V came really late…sorry about that, but I've been kind of busy. Wednesday was the day that this was supposed to go up, but homework kind of kept me weighed down on top of other things that I had to do in my own life. When I finally got to write the chapter, there was a storm moving over where I live and it knocked out our power and screwed up the internet and I haven't gotten it back on until today (9/12). So yeah, again, sorry about the wait. Umm, in this chapter, the plot starts to rear its head…so without anything more, here is chapter five. Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter V**

From where he stood, Cid did not see a damn thing wrong with Mideel (besides the obvious destruction that the town had never recovered from) and racked his brain trying to figure out why the hell Cloud had him come all this way. As the _Shera _flew overhead, Cid pushed a button on the control terminal that made a flat-screen monitor drop down from the ceiling that showed him what was under his ship via a camera mounted beneath it. Mideel did not look any worse off or better than it was the last time he flew past it. The Lifestream was still glowing bright in the middle of the small town, but the few that still lived there had learned to adapt to living around it.

Cid pushed the button again and the monitor disappeared back into the recess in the ceiling and went blank. Pushing the intercom button, Cid cleared his voice and announced: "Everyone sit still, 'cause I'm about to land this baby." Cid let go of the shiny green button and pressed the necessary buttons, flipped the right switches, and pulled the correct levers, to make the _Shera _stop and hover once he was about a mile outside of Mideel. Carefully, Cid reduced the throttle and allowed the ship to descend toward the ground. The landing gears slid smoothly into place with the push of a button and in less than two minutes the _Shera _had landed.

Pleased, Cid retrieved a cigarette from a shiny metal case that he carried around in his pilot's jacket and lit it up, taking a long drag before blowing it out in little smoke rings. "You still ain't lost yer touch, Cid." He told himself with a grin. Holding the cigarette between his lips, Cid hit the intercom once again and spoke around the cigarette that was in his mouth – something that he was accustomed to by now. "Ladies and gentlemen, the _Shera _has landed. Please head to the nearest exits, and haul ass when doing so. Thank you, and have a nice day."

Cid turned away from the controls and exited the cockpit. Straight ahead, along a short path, was an elevator that led to the Lounge, deck, or engine room. To his right, however, were steps that would allow him down onto the level of the _Shera _where the exit was located. The steps and overhang both had handrails and overlooked a large empty space below. As Cid was starting down the steps, the elevator doors opened and Rufus, Elena, Tifa, Red XIII, Yuffie, Cait Sith, and Barret filed out of it.

At the bottom of the steps, Cid walked over to a door marked with an exit sign and pushed the blue button next to it. A hydraulic _hiss _came from it as the door slowly opened up to a short passage with a collapsible exit ramp at the other end, which was also activated with the blue button and was slowly unfolding to allow light into the passage. As they waited for it to collapse completely, Rufus approached Cid and watched, next to Rufus stood Elena.

Taking a breath, the young President said: "The airship is remarkable, Cid."

Cid snickered, feeling his ego growing by the second. "It's my pride and joy."

Rufus nodded. "She's a beauty, no doubt. It rides smooth, and is designed even better. The Lounge is great…truthfully I'd rather fly in this than my previous aircrafts."

"'Elbows and assholes', that's my new saying," Cid grinned proudly. "A little hard work can go a long way. The most remarkable feature is the Autopilot component. As long as I know the longitude and latitude of a certain place, I can punch in those numbers and the _Shera _will take me there, and all I have to do after that is land it."

"You know…" Rufus started, downing the rest of the contents in his disposable cup, "If you ever need a job…"

Cid shook his head defiantly. "Not to be an asshole, but I'm fine with my situation."

"That's understandable." Rufus replied. "But if things go wrong, I'll have a spot open to you."

"I'll keep that in mind." Cid responded. There was a metallic _clank _as the ramp hit the ground and with that, Cid exited the _Shera _with Rufus close behind and the rest of AVALANCHE and Elena.

On the ground, Barret approached Cid and let out a deep laugh. "Is the mighty Shin-Ra president getting soft on us?"

Cid shrugged.

Barret stared at the back of the President's head for a moment before muttering, "He's a goddamn prick – nothin' but a suck up, plain n' simple."

After several minutes of walking, a tree line came into view that was the harbinger of the dense forest to come. The tree line traveled out of sight in all directions, and the very slight sound of ocean could be heard from the south and north beaches. The group of seven moved forward and into the jungle without hesitation. The monsters that lurked within were nothing to be feared and could be dispatched of very easily.

As the group made their way through the forest, Rufus and Elena found themselves in a conversation about the Turks' role in the 'new' Shin-Ra. Things ranging from security to a form of global police arose in the conversation, neither of them fitting the original Turks' purpose of being a small group of highly skilled individuals tasked with carrying out the old Shin-Ra's various covert operations. Barret and Cid were discussing production and the values of each individual's inventions, and the high rate at which they would sell when put together. Barret was also discussing the places that he wanted to dig, and said that the WRO said that they'd be happy to aid in the search for an alternate energy resource. Red XIII was trying to better explain what they were looking for to Tifa, Yuffie, and Reeve – via Cait Sith. He explained how the Jenova monsters in Healin and Edge were connected to the ones that were (or were not) at the Ranch, and laid out his explanation on what they were based on a summation of Cloud and Vincent's own, and his own, knowledge. He left out the entire possibility of Sephiroth's existence and role in all of this, however, for the better of the group.

"…and so, Cloud, Vincent, and I have come to the conclusion that Jenova cells are somehow disturbing the Lifestream and being forced out and manifesting into creatures – " Red XIII stopped mid-explanation and tilted his head to the side. "Do you see that?" The entire group stopped, Tifa nearly falling overtop of the red wolf, and Yuffie was not far behind. Cid and Barret halted in their tracks and Rufus and Elena barely escaped a head-on collision with Barret's mountain of a back. A little bit of a fuss arose, but Red XIII hushed them and raised a paw, imitating a humans way of pointing. "Look!" He cautioned, hushing the group.

At first there was nothing, but upon deeper inspection the trees in the distance appeared gray and bare, completely sucked dry of life. The air up ahead was also foggy; a slight purple hue had formed in it, giving the forest an eerie appearance. AVALANCHE and the two Shin-Ra representatives walked forward to closer examine the dead forest. Stopping at the line that divided the green from the dead, Red XIII stepped on a fallen twig, and the ash-gray branch was reduced to pieces by even the slightest amount of pressure. The once-green leaves of the now-dead trees were lying on the ground, withered and black as if they had been burnt. The grass and flowers around them were much the same way, as if some plague had swept through and sucked all life from nature.

"How did you not see this from the _Shera_?" Red XIII asked, pawing through the remains of the dead branch he had just crushed to pieces.

Cid squatted down to closer examine the dead greenery, also, picking up a handful of withered grass as he shook his head. "It must have just happened, because everything looked fine to me. Hell – the cam I have installed under the _Shera _records everything when I activate it, so I have proof."

Just then, the group looked around themselves, and within a few seconds they realized that the death was slowly spreading as leaves began falling off of the trees around them, and the line that had divided the green from the gray was slowly being pushed back as more of the forest was being slowly consumed and the air was becoming thicker as a purple mist gradually collected around them.

"I – it's glowing!" Yuffie exclaimed, pointing out the obvious. No one replied, but only continued staring.

"What about the people that live here?" Elena asked, sounding a bit worried about the situation.

Red XIII sniffed the air and cringed. The smell was dreadfully close to the Jenova Symbiote that had been inside of Seventh Heaven – "Oh no…" Red XIII turned to the others. "This is Jenova!" No one was really surprised by this, and Red XIII urged them on. "If it did this to the forest, think about the people!"

"Then what the hell are we standing around for!?" Barret exploded; somewhat surprised that no one had been spurred into action just yet.

Red XIII nodded agreement with Barret and led AVALANCHE and Rufus and Elena through the forest swiftly. After a moment, the smell of Jenova cells penetrated his nostrils and burned his head. It was strong…_very _strong. But the smell did nothing to slow him down, in fact it did the opposite and made him run faster, leaving the others behind as Red XIII sped through the forest in a red blur. Several minutes later and he was standing at the edge of the still-ruined town.

Since the Lifestream destroyed it two years ago, Mideel had never fully recovered. The Lifestream was still there, a testament to the destruction it had caused despite the fact that all of the debris had been cleaned up. A measly total of seven buildings stood. Each was nothing more than wood and metal that had been pieced together into makeshift shelter. Straight ahead, there was a makeshift bridge that seemed quite rickety, that led to a cluster of small buildings that served as homes and small shops. To his left was the hospital Cloud had been checked into two years ago, it no longer stood proudly above the town, but was rather a building made of scraps.

All of the greenery that surrounded the town was dead, but the purple mist was not as thick in the open. The Lifestream burned brightly as if nothing had happened, but all of the doors were closed and there was no sign of life anywhere. By this time, Tifa had caught up to him and also surveyed the area. By the time the others caught up, Tifa had mentioned going to see the Doctor, as it was the only person that the group knew in all of Mideel.

"Just stay here and I'll go check with him," Tifa told the group. No one disapproved and she started for the dilapidated – a word that made the building sound better than it was – hospital. At the top of the rickety steps, Tifa took a breath and knocked on the metal door that looked to have been salvaged from somewhere in the debris of the town. Several moments passed before the door creaked open on hinges that were loose and crooked. A man with short brown hair that was parted in the middle answered the door. His glasses were thick, but small, and sat on the tip of his nose. A brown mustache complimented his neat hair.

"Mrs. Lockheart?"

Tifa nodded. "Hello."

"Come in." The Doctor ushered Tifa inside and closed the door once she entered the hospital. The inside looked only slightly more inviting than the out, and the two beds inside had clean sheets and pillows. The floor was made of salvaged wood, and the window draperies were a bit worn.

Tifa stood by the window that overlooked the Lifestream. She frowned and then asked, "Did anything weird happen lately? Like in the last ten or twenty minutes to be exact."

"Oh yes," He replied, pouring two cups of hot tea as he, too, looked out the window from where he stood deeper in the room. "The Lifestream suddenly became very restless, and we heard a strange sound like a screech. My nurse and I – she's in her house now – were terrified." The Doctor handed Tifa the cup of tea and stood next to her as she examined the Lifestream. The Doctor grinned and started shaking his head as he spoke. "It might sound silly, but it seemed like the screeching was coming from the Planet itself."

"What happened after that?" Tifa sipped the tea. It was somewhat sweet, and certainly enjoyable.

"A strange thing…" The Doctor started. "Since the Lifestream came through Mideel, we have never witnessed an event such as this. A mist-like substance rose off of the 'Stream, and it was purple in color. The strangest thing was that the mist seemed to move as one, totally unaffected by the direction of the wind. The mist eventually got thicker and gained more mass, until finally it started to spread throughout the forest. On contact, everything started dieing, and the mist just kept coming from the Lifestream until finally it stopped and rose in the air and spread throughout the forest. I am a testament to the fact that in the open, the mist eventually vanished and mixed with the natural air, but I am not certain about in closed areas – such as the dense forest outside."

Tifa nodded. "The forest is full of it." Drinking the rest of her tea, Tifa thanked the Doctor and started for the door. "I'm really sorry, but I can't linger around much longer. If you'll excuse me."

The Doctor nodded understandingly. "Of course. You have a nice day, now."

Tifa exited the small hospital and wandered back down to where she had left the group. Red XIII and Rufus were close to the edge of the Lifestream, both were examining it, but Red XIII was not sight-seeing like Rufus, rather he was 'inspecting' it. The others were seated on the ground, or leaning against wooden posts that were buried deep into the ground.

"So?" Cid started, "What'd the Doc' say?"

"It came from the Lifestream, that's what he said." Tifa responded. "Like a purple mist like we saw in the forest."

Red XIII growled restlessly. "Our theory may be right…" He started, backing away from the ledge that overlooked the Lifestream that was some fifty feet below. "The Lifestream may be forcing out Geostigma-infected souls, and at the same time releasing Jenova Cells into the world by mistake. It doesn't know any better."

"Which means?" Barret queried from where he was leaning nonchalantly against a fencepost that had no fence.

Red XIII shook his head. "I can't say for sure what it means, but if this forest is any indication…" The group looked over into the dead forest for a moment, allowing Red XIII's words to sink in. "It could mean absolutely nothing – or it could mean that the world might be sucked dry of life, whether that includes humans and animals alike I can't say for sure. But certainly, if all of Gaia's vegetation were to die, animals and people would not be far behind."

"So what the hell can we do about it?" Cid demanded, pointing at the forest. "What if this shit spreads in a day or two?"

Red XIII shook his head. "I'll have to go to Cosmo Canyon and think…in the meantime, I am sure that the WRO and Shin-Ra could aid in some way."

_Ring. Ring. Ring. _

Tifa grabbed her cell from her waist and flipped it open. "Hello?"

"Tifa."

"Cloud? Is everything okay?" Tifa took a seat on a short piece of fence that was somehow still standing.

"Chocobo Bill and his grandson are dead…it was Jenova that attacked."

Tifa frowned deeply, lines of stress appearing on her face. "Things aren't looking good here, either. Red thinks that the Lifestream here has released Jenova Cells, and their killing all of the plants and vegetation."

There was a pause. "But nothing worse?" Cloud asked from the other end, trying to sound surprised at how 'bad' the news was.

Tifa grimaced and grabbed her stomach as a sharp pain shot through her.

"Tifa?"

"Sorry…I just drank some tea and its turning my stomach upside down."

"…"

Tifa cleared her throat and got up again. "Um…is there anything you guys need?"

"A ride would be nice." Cloud responded sarcastically. "Tseng's car got destroyed. Fenrir can only carry two."

"We'll come right now, then." Tifa responded.

"Tifa,"

"Yeah?"

"Put Rufus on the phone…"

"Okay." Tifa walked over to Rufus, curious to find out what it was that Cloud had to say to the President. Handing the phone to him, Rufus walked a few steps away.

"Cloud? How are you?"

"Fine…look, Rufus, I need you to arrange something for me."

"I'll try." Rufus replied. He couldn't help but watch Tifa, who was moving closer to him, from the corner of his eye.

"You know the marsh outside the Farm? I need you to suck it dry or something, see if there's a hole in the planet there where the Lifestream may be getting out."

Rufus cocked an eyebrow. "I'll make the call…" He said unsurely.

There was a pause and then a sigh. "Reno said to tell you hey."

Rufus laughed. "Goodbye, Cloud."

* * *

"Tifa?" 

Red XIII moved closer to Tifa, who was sitting on the floor, her back against the wall, and somewhat slumped forward. Her hair cascaded over her face, hiding her expression, and she did not move. Her arms hung motionlessly beside her. As if in sleep, her chest rose and fell in even breaths, but Red XIII could sense that there was something amiss.

Using his paw – which was something he was fairly good at – Red XIII nudged her shoulder just the slightest bit. When no reaction came, Red XIII curiously nudged her with his head just a bit harder – and her form tumbled over into the floor.

"Tifa!" Afraid, Red XIII examined her carefully. No bruises, no cuts, so she wasn't assaulted, rather she was knocked unconscious by _something _– cutting his thoughts short, Tifa started convulsing. Red XIII backed away at first, but then moved forward and tried to hold the young woman down as her body shuddered. "_Help_!" His shouts were in vain, however, because no one came to his aid. Suddenly, the pores in Tifa's arms released a purple fluid that leaked out onto the floor.

_Geostigma_, Red XIII thought to himself in horror.

After several ounces of the fluid was expelled, Tifa's body stopped its shaking and her eyes opened slowly. "The…others…" She managed to say, barely over a whisper.

"Are they…?"

Tifa shook her head weakly, unknowing of their conditions.

The elevator to the Lounge was in front of him, but Red XIII could only think about Cid passing out and the _Shera _crashing. "Stay here," He instructed before sprinting off down the hallway and toward the nearest stairs. At the cockpit-level, Red XIII sped down the corridor. Inside, there was no one at the controls, but the aircraft was flying flawlessly, and Red XIII noticed the word **AUTOPILOT **displayed on the drop-down monitor above the controls.

Turning, Red XIII started out of the cockpit. Up ahead was the elevator, but before that was the restroom door that was open ajar. Rushing to it, Red XIII pushed it open with his snout and went inside. As was his fears, Cid was laying in much the same condition as Tifa on the restroom floor. His pilot's jacket was lying next to him, thrown on the floor after he had apparently taken it off. His arms were stained purple with the same fluids that had come out of Tifa's appendages.

"Gods! What happened?"

Red XIII turned around and saw Elena standing in the doorway in horror. "Elena? Are you okay?"

Afraid, Elena nodded nervously. "I'm fine, but everyone in the Lounge passed out – _gods_, are they okay!?"

Red XIII shook his head. "I'm not sure, but it seems like they've been infected with Geostigma. It may have something to do with what we witnessed in Mideel, the airborne Jenova cells may have gotten into their bodies. You and I were not affected because we've both been exposed to certain levels of Jenova cells, and have probably built up a natural immunity to it. Right now, though, what can we do about getting some help?"

Elena shook her head, and looked toward the control room. The door was still open, and the flashing words **AUTOPILOT **was still displayed, then she remembered Rufus' conversation with Cid. "Cid said that the Autopilot component will take him anywhere as long as he knew the longitude and latitude of a certain area, and after that, all the pilot has to do is land the airship."

Red XIII nodded, remembering the events in Aerith's church several days ago. "There's a place that we can heal everybody at once…Cloud might know the latitude and longitude. Can you call him?"

* * *

Cloud wiped sweat off of his forehead and threw the shovel he had been using to the ground. Just outside of the farm, on top of the huge hill that surrounded it, Cloud buried the body of Chocobo Bill and Chole, marking the graves with a rock and Chocobo feather underneath of it. Billy's body was nowhere to be found, and all of the Chocobo's were dead or dying from something that Cloud couldn't describe. Vincent had also helped to bury the old Chocobo breeder, saying that it was only right to help bury someone who had been a friend for a long time. 

"Rest in peace." Vincent mumbled, eyeing the grave stoically. "Death is…no fun." He said as he and Cloud started down the hill toward the tree line where the Turk's were seated in the shade.

"Sounds like you're talking from experience." Cloud remarked with a laugh.

"It is something I know all too well." Vincent replied impassively.

The topic dropped there, Cloud having realized it was wrong to have brought it up. At the bottom of the hill, Reno was stretched out on the grass, looking as if to be sleeping. Rude was sitting against a tree with his sunglasses on even in the shade, and Tseng was standing next to a tree, which was supporting some of his weight as he was leaning against it. Tseng looked up when Vincent and Cloud arrived, he gave a nod and then returned to staring off into the distance.

Cloud dropped down to the grass opposite Reno, and Vincent found a shady spot to rest alone.

"So when do you think they'll get here?" Reno drawled, sounding bored, but was actually just talking like himself.

"Probably won't be for a few more hours." Cloud responded. "They're all the way in Mideel, and it took them about six to seven hours to get there from Edge."

Reno let out a sigh and closed his eyes again. "Guess we'll be here for quite awhile…"

"Better than work." Rude commented, and Tseng laughed.

"Since the topic came up…" Reno started, picking himself up from his laying position. "Are we getting paid for this?"

Tseng shrugged. "I'm not really your employer; you'll have to take that up with Rufus."

Reno blew out an exasperated sigh and lay back down. "Well that just got shot to hell."

_Ring. Ring._

Cloud retrieved his new phone – having lost the last one sometime during the fight with Kadaj and his brothers in the Forgotten City – from his pants and flipped open the sleek, black, cell. "Hello?"

"Cloud, it's Elena, we have a problem."

Cloud sat forward, interested. "What is it?"

"Everyone but me and Red XIII contracted Geostigma…everyone's unconscious." Elena sounded quite worried on the other end.

Cloud paused for a moment; he couldn't help but picture Tifa writhing in pain. "Are they…alive?"

"Yes, but Red XIII is scared that they're just barely hanging on. We need your help."

"What can I do?" Cloud asked, somewhat confused.

"It's a silly question, but Red XIII wants to know if you know the latitude and longitude of your friend Aerith's church."

Cloud immediately realized that they needed to reach the pool of water that had gathered inside of the church, but shook his head. "No…but the Sector 5 Reactor was just above it…Reeve might know."

"I'll check with him, then."

"I'll be waiting." Cloud responded and the line went dead. Cloud closed his phone and put it in his pocket. After being questioned by Reno, Cloud explained the situation and the Turks were weary for the state that their Boss may or may not be in. "Everyone will be fine." Cloud responded coolly, getting to his feet. "But it'll probably be an even longer wait, now…" Cloud looked south, in the direction of the marsh. "I'm just worried that something else is going to come out of there."

Reno sat up and sighed loudly. "Didn't you ask boss to come suck the marsh dry?" He drawled, looking a slight bit worried.

Cloud nodded, but was uncertain. "There's a possibility that he didn't get a chance to make the call."

Reno frowned. "Guess we better keep our eyes open, then." Reno turned to Rude and cocked his head sideways. "How many more of those shells are there for the launcher?"

Rude shrugged, but Tseng answered for the bald Turk. "Zero."

"Shiii-it." Reno fell back down into the grass and sighed exasperatedly again. "H- hey! Look!" In the sky, several large airships passed by, casting long shadows across the grassy fields. Laughing excitedly, Reno jumped up and waved his arms about in the air, attempting to signal the large, steel crafts. As they turned, the letters **W.R.O. **became visible, emblazoned in bright red letters that stood out on the silver ships. "Oh hell yeah!" Reno jumped into the air, thrusting an arm up in a sort of victory stance.

The others, however, took a much more mature approach and simple stood up and walked out from beneath the shade of the trees. The four crafts moved as one, until a single craft that was the smallest of the lot disbanded and started toward the Ranch as the others headed south toward the marsh. Before the three larger crafts could disappear in the distance, the slightly smaller one had landed just outside of the Ranch. Vincent, Cloud, and the Turks walked toward the ship to greet its passengers.

With a loud hiss and a few mechanical sounds, a large door opened in the rear of the ship. When it was fully lowered, several figures appeared from within the ship. Of them, only one did not wear a standard W.R.O. uniform – Reeve Tuetsi. Wearing his regular blue attire, Reeve moved down the ramp with the four W.R.O. soldiers walking stoically beside him. The two groups of five met each other at the bottom of the ramp, and Reeve exchanged handshakes with Cloud and his group.

Reeve shook Cloud's hand lastly, and thus began talking to the blonde-haired man. "Rufus told me of your wishes just awhile ago, so I brought in the necessary equipment. The two large ships you saw contain several vehicles outfitted with the correct utensils for sucking the marsh's content." Cocking an eyebrow, Reeve couldn't help but laugh. "But, Cloud, I have to ask you: why?"

Cloud grinned thinly, realizing the oddity of the situation. "Rufus didn't tell you?" Cloud turned toward the general direction of the marsh and began explaining. "Long story short, there may be a hole in the planet where the Lifestream is getting out. As a result, Jenova creatures are spawning from the escaping Lifestream. Chocobo Bill and the two farmhands he kept here are all dead. The place got overrun by Jenova Symbiotes."

Reeve nodded. "I couldn't help but notice the gorge just outside the Ranch…Cloud, if this involves Jenova, you will have to tell me more." Cloud nodded understandingly and the two started off away from the others so that Cloud could enlighten Reeve in private.

As they walked, Cloud explained the best he could. "Vincent, Red XIII, and I have reason to believe that those who died from Geostigma somehow carried the Jenova Cells with them after death." Cloud did not have to explain the connection between Geostigma and Jenova to Reeve, as he was already well informed. "As a result, Jenova – who is an unwelcome visitor in the Lifestream itself – is being rejected from the Lifestream and is being excreted wherever there is a hole."

Reeve was rubbing his goatee with his fingers delicately, lost in thought. "It would appear that the Jenova Cells alone – in an un-organized state – would not have any affect on the balance of the Lifestream."

Cloud nodded. "But that's where _he _comes in…"

Reeve stopped, and looked sharply at Cloud. "You mean…Sephiroth?"

"…If it is possible for Sephiroth to remain in a bodily state even after his death, he may be stirring the Cells into action – specifically to rebel against the Lifestream and escape it. In fact, as long as his mind is somehow present, the Jenova Cells may still abide to his will, even if Sephiroth is not fully present in the Lifestream itself."

Reeve took a deep breath and blew it out unevenly. "Do you think he may attempt to stage a return?"

Cloud shrugged, unknowing of a straight answer. "It's hard to tell…"

"Are the cells having any effect on the Planet or the people?"

Cloud nodded again. "Tifa and the others went to Mideel to check the Lifestream there to make sure Jenova Symbiotes were not wreaking havoc. Tifa mentioned that the plants were dying, corroding I guess – " Cloud's heart skipped a beat and his eyes went wide in distress.

"_The last thoughts of Geostigma's dead. Those remnants will join the Lifestream and girdle the Planet…choking it, corroding it…" _

Sephiroth's words from only a few days before were fresh in Cloud's mind. "Damn…it's coming together now…"

"What is?"

"What Sephiroth said to me…He said that Geostigma's dead would join the Lifestream and surround the Planet and choke it and corrode it…" Cloud felt a burst of anger shoot through him. "What happened in Mideel, the dying of the plants is what Sephiroth meant."

"Do you fear that worse may come?" Reeve asked, surprised by Cloud's revelation.

"If Sephiroth can do that to the surface of the planet…what will he do to the inside?" Cloud was staring at the ground blankly.

Reeve's eyes went wide. "He'll kill the Planet from the inside-out! Gods! But what would he do then!?"

"_What I want, Cloud…is to sail the darkness of the cosmos with this planet as my vessel…just as my mother did long ago. Then one day we'll find a new planet…and on its soil we'll create a shining future."_

"_What about this planet?" _

"_Well, that's up to you, Cloud." _

"He mentioned using the Planet as his vessel to move through the universe once it was dead…Then he said, 'We'll find a new planet…and on its soil we'll create a shining future.' It didn't make much sense at the time, but now…"

"Who could he mean by 'we'?" Reeve asked.

"Huh?"

"'_We'll_ find a new planet and on its soil _we'll _create a shining future.'" Reeve repeated, quoting the words from Sephiroth's speech that Cloud had repeated.

Cloud shook his head. "He mentioned 'his mother', so maybe he means Jenova…or maybe he just means the souls of the Geostigma victims…" Cloud paused and then said quietly, "I guess they're the same thing…How would he be able to use this planet as a 'vessel', anyways?"

Reeve shrugged. "A huge impact would be needed to knock the Planet off of its natural course, so I can't give a good answer…what I don't understand is why would Sephiroth wait until after you defeated him the second time to start his plan? You killed him once in the North Crater, why wouldn't he have just done everything quietly as soon as he entered the Lifestream?"

Cloud laughed. "Because that is not Sephiroth's manner. He wants this to be a game, and he wants us to know what he is doing so that we can try to stop him and he can test his own strength. I questioned the fate of this planet, and he replied by saying that its fate was up to me."

"I just can't grasp that concept, Cloud. Sephiroth was defeated twice by you, why would he even try again? He's no match for you, apparently."

Cloud laughed response to Reeve's words. "Don't fool yourself, Reeve. When I fought Sephiroth in Midgar three days ago, he was strong, but I knew that he wasn't using his full strength. Besides, what I fought in Midgar was only a shadow of Sephiroth's real self, he was only partially there when his strength was taken into account." Cloud looked off into the sky and sighed. "When we all fought with him in the Northern Crater, I doubt that he was fighting his hardest there, either. Sure he was strong, but he may have allowed us to defeat him for the sole purpose of getting his soul into the Lifestream so that he could initiate this plan that we are only discovering today."

Reeve sighed. "I know of everyone's illness."

Cloud had nearly forgotten about the illness that had befallen everyone – save Elena and Red XIII – who went to Mideel. "Elena called you?"

Reeve shook his head. "Cait Sith. She wanted the latitude and longitude of the Sector 5 Reactor so they could get to Aerith's church. Is it Geostigma?"

"Red XIII thinks so." Cloud said, nodding. "Is there a way that you can…say, measure the Jenova Cells in a certain area?"

Reeve made an uncertain face. "I can't say for sure, but there may be something that was salvaged from Hojo's lab that we can use. I'll have someone check about that. Is it Mideel that you want checked?"

"Yes." Cloud replied simply. "If the Lifestream is the exit point for the Jenova cells, Mideel will be the sure place that we'll find the cells in abundance."

"Cloud," A voice interrupted Cloud and Reeve's conversation. Both men turned to the speaker and saw it to be the bald-headed Turk, Rude. "Elena called."

"And?"

"She said that they are inside the church now..."

Cloud nodded and turned to Reeve. "Can you take us there?"

"It shouldn't be a problem."

"Then let's go."


	6. Chapter 6

**Final Fantasy VII**

**Rebirth**

A/N: Okay, so I started to read a couple of other FF7 fics, and I started to realize something. I'm beginning to think that I am not getting the characters right. Being such a big fan of the game, one would think that I would do it to perfection – but that's not the case. I feel like I am making the characters, well, out of character. I read other fics, and I can't help but think that I made Cloud just a bit too talkative, and I am not depicting the stress between Tifa and his relationship enough…I don't know, maybeit's just a little self-esteem issue. I also noticed that I have definitely neglected Yuffie…so sorry about that! I promise that'll change in the coming chapters!

Also, another note. I've realized that the updates are coming slow, but I am doing the best I can at balancing this and personal life. I hate to say it, but from now on updates will probably be weekly.

Yeah but anyways, here's chapter six – enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter VI**

With a grunt, Rude squeezed in between the Number 7 gate that was open ajar, stuck in that same position for two years now. On the other side Rude dusted off his suit and adjusted the collar accordingly. Although the high glass walls – that had once separated the slummers from the outside world – were broken into jagged pieces, the group couldn't find a low point that they could squeeze through without risking some serious cuts.

Rude pushed his shades up as they slid down his nose just a hair and surveyed the area. Chunks of twisted concrete and metal from the Upper Plate that had at once covered the Slums were scattered across the immediate path. Homes that had once housed whole families were nothing but piles of burnt rubble in the wake of Meteor and the destruction that followed. Even during Midgar's prime years, the Slum's were never quite that nice, but the state it was in now was unquestionably not fit to live in and the level of destruction was simply overwhelming. Rude knew all too well that not everyone escaped during Meteor's time hovering over Midgar and he could only imagine how many bodies were strewn throughout the wreckage.

"Hey, partner, you comin'?" Rude looked away from the destroyed homes and saw that the redheaded Turk was several paces ahead, trailing behind Cloud, Reeve, Tseng, and Vincent by just a bit. With a last look at the debris, Rude started toward Reno who had stopped to wait for him.

"It's majorly screwed-up, ain't it?" Reno asked, also eyeing the rubble from homes and the Upper Plate alike. Rude nodded agreement. "Goddamn Sephiroth's soul to hell for summoning that Meteor," Reno muttered, "Hope that freaky asshole gets what he deserves." Up ahead, Vincent seemed to have caught Reno's sentence and he turned his head as if to say something, but did not and turned back around. Reno paid no mind to the ex-Turk and stared down to the ground as he walked; avoiding chunks of concrete and metal as he did so. Rude walked next to him, doing much the same as the two Turk's were both silent in their trek toward Aerith's church. On the walk there, the state of the others all weighed heavily on each and every one of their minds.

Reno also couldn't help but think about all the dead people in the destroyed homes, and about just how much pain the survivors of the Slum's felt when they lost their homes and loved ones. In a way, Reno regarded himself as lucky. He had no family – at least, not in his eyes, anyways. At an early age Tseng's predecessor ordered scouts to look for new possible recruits that could be turned into a new batch of Turk's. As a result, Reno was picked up, and Rude was recruited, too. Reno's mom had a bad alcohol problem, which was probably where Reno developed his taste for it from, and was barely ever home. She was, in simple words, a run-around. Reno probably had quite a few brothers and sisters that he'd never met before.

In short, Reno's only family – or what he considered family, anyways – was Rude, Tseng and Rufus (who were both more like friends that were control freaks rather than bosses) and – sometimes painfully so – Elena, whom he experienced many ups and downs with on a regular basis. He also didn't have a home other than the dorms that Shin-Ra had provided inside of the Midgar Headquarters and in Junon for the Turks. Inns were also a frequent thing in his life, as the Turk's often traveled from place to place and stayed at Inn's during the night, with the greatest benefit being that their charges for staying were deducted from Shin-Ra's endless account, and the Turk's paid absolutely nothing.

_Tink. _

Reno stopped and snapped his head right in time to see a bolt about the size of his index finger ricochet off of a piece of metal and flop to the ground. Then there was another sound of shuffling feet from atop a mound of rubble. Reno looked up, but there was nothing. Voices started to rise around them and Reno drew his riot prod from beneath his suit jacket (he had put his suit back on just after getting news that he, Tseng, and Rude would be going to the Ranch for a job). Cloud pulled his massive sword from its restraints, Vincent drew his triple-barreled firearm, Rude pulled his Turk Special from its shoulder holster beneath his suit, and Tseng did the same. Reeve was weaponless.

Just as they did so, figures rose up from the rubble, lining the tops of the homes. They wore torn and battered cloaks of all colors, and were armed with pocket knives and daggers. As soon as the assailants laid eyes on the heavily armed group, they chattered amongst themselves and retreated as quickly as they had come. Soon, the rapid footfalls of the goons could be heard no longer and only then were Reno and the others convinced to put away their weapons.

"Bandits." Cloud stated simply. "I've ran into them before…unless you're unarmed, they won't bother you."

"I wonder where they landed the _Shera_?" Reeve asked as the group started forward again, Aerith's church coming into view in the distance.

Cloud shrugged.

At the church, Cloud pushed open the newly replaced doors that he had put up just a few weeks ago since the originals were literally falling to pieces. Reeve and Vincent followed behind, while Reno was the last to enter the dilapidated building. Thinking back, it was ironic that the last time Reno was inside this church was when he and Cloud were not quite on the same page. The church was still beautiful in the sense of it being old and well-crafted, not in the sense of many of the pews being scattered about and broken with chunks of concrete pillars lying strewn about the stone floors. At the far end of the church there was a pool of water where a garden of flowers had once been.

"Cloud!" Red XIII's head peered out around a pew and he started toward the group. "Is everyone okay?"

Cloud nodded. "The others?"

Red XIII looked back at the pool of water behind him. "Elena and I found a bucket and covered every inch of their bodies." Red XIII looked back at Cloud, and if a wolf could show an expression depicting worry, he would have. "They reacted very violently to it…and another thing…" Red XIII turned away from the group and started toward the water with the others following him.

"What is it?" Reeve asked, worry drenching his tone.

Red XIII hesitated, seeming scared to reveal something. Cautiously, Red XIII sat at the edge of the pool and looked down into the sparkling water. "Just before we got them here, everyone started to mumble about various things…strangest of all is that they were all speaking the same words simultaneously." Cloud had taken place next to Red XIII by now, and he could sense the anxiety coming off of Red XIII. Still, he remained stoic and stared down into the pool with a blank expression. "They…they mentioned things that disturbed me, Cloud."

Cloud did not speak, but the tilting of his head toward Red XIII spoke volumes.

Hesitating, Red XIII finally spoke after several seconds. By this time, the entire group had tensed. "They just talked in broken sentences and phrases, mentioning things about the Lifestream."

"Why does that bother you?" Reeve queried.

"…they also mentioned things about Geostigma, and about Jenova, but without actually referring to the calamity directly. They mentioned 'mother' and a 'reunion'…" The group was quiet, allowing Red XIII to continue. "They talked about Nibelheim, and Meteor…Cloud, they talked about _you_."

"…what did they say?" Cloud inquired, still remaining emotionless, seemingly unworried.

Red XIII shook his head. "Nothing, really, but your name was spoken several times."

Cloud looked at his right shoulder, where the Masamune had pierced him in battle three days ago. "Sephiroth?"

This produced mixed results behind him, most noticeably Reno who blurted out a few cusses, but everyone had their own comment. When they quieted, only then did Red XIII reply. "I couldn't be sure because they were speaking with their own voices."

Cloud took a deep breath, still seeming calm even after the possibility of Sephiroth returning. "Are they still…?"

"Not after touching this water…They hushed soon after and haven't spoken a word like that since, and have even revived."

"Where is Elena and Rufus?" Tseng interrupted.

Red XIII turned to the black-haired Turk and then pointed with his snout toward a doorway on the other side of the water. "Elena is tending to them."

Tseng nodded and then started to the edge of the water so that he could make his way around to the other side.

"We'll go, too." Cloud insisted, and with that the rest of the group moved forward. Leading them was Red XIII, who cautiously walked into the dark corridor and into a room with old rickety stairs that led straight up to the ceiling. If the situation wasn't as tense as it were, Reno would have asked Cloud if he remembered when he and Aerith had run away from the red-head. In the room, AVALANCHE and the three Turks were relieved to see that all of their comrades were alive and well.

Reno looked up to see the blonde-haired Turk kneeling next to Barret Wallace, the burly black man with a gun as an arm. The man was massaging his temples with his left hand – his _good _hand. Reno then looked over at Rufus, who was sitting idly with his head hanging backwards. He, like all the others, was alive and well. _Rufus signs my paycheck, so he had just better be okay._ Reno thought, narrowing his eyes at the young Shin-Ra president. Tseng started forward, and Reno and Rude followed. The Turks gathered around Rufus and sat down around him, still acting as faithful guards no matter the situation.

Meanwhile, Vincent walked over to the rickety steps which was only several feet away from everyone else and sat down upon them. Cloud sighed and moved carefully toward Tifa who lay on the wooden floor motionless. She was the only one who still slept. She looked to be in a deep sweat, but he passed it off as the remains of the water that Elena had doused her with. Slowly and easily, Cloud squatted down next to her and stared for just a moment. After everything they'd been through, it would've been pretty agitating for any one of them to die from this.

Cloud stretched his arm out toward Tifa, stopping momentarily before grasping her hand and holding it. It felt so unnatural that he could have withdrew his arm the next second, but did not. "Tifa…" He whispered, feeling slightly embarrassed of talking to an unconscious person. "Things might get bad…but…" Cloud stopped, Sephiroth's words fresh in his mind. _"Tell me what you cherish most…give me the pleasure of taking it away…" _Cloud's shoulder hurt again as he remembered when the Masamune was bit deep into his shoulder and Sephiroth had spoken those words. "but," Cloud started again, "I'll protect you…and everyone else." He looked up and then around him, at all of his friends. Barret, Cid, Yuffie, Tifa, Red XIII, Vincent, Reeve, even the Turk's and Rufus – they were all Cloud's friends in one definition of the word or another. Some were not as close as others, but they were still friends nonetheless. "There's not a thing I don't cherish…" He whispered, reminiscent of the last moment of Sephiroth and his battle atop the Shin-Ra building.

Cloud was startled as Tifa's once-limp hand took on the qualities of a steel vise. When he looked down, her eyes were wide open and staring directly at Cloud, unwavering in their gaze. But there was something wrong. No longer were her eyes that of a soft, warm, brown – no, now they burned with Mako, the same color as Sephiroth's. Suddenly her grip on Cloud's hand tightened to a painful level that made Cloud cringe and her other hand shot up and seized Cloud by the collar. With strength that did not belong to her, Tifa yanked Cloud down to her face and spoke in a voice much deeper than her own.

"Then I'll just have to…" She started, her voice echoing Sephiroth's own, "…take everything away from you, Cloud." Her words – or rather, the words of someone inside of her – were referring to what Cloud had said about not having one thing that he did not cherish. By now, everyone was watching these strange events as they unraveled before them.

Cloud's heart skipped a beat and his breath came and left in a hurry. "_Sephiroth_." Tifa's lips twisted into a smirk that eerily mirrored Sephiroth's own, and then Tifa gasped as her lungs were drained of air. Simultaneously, the Mako-color in her eyes vanished and she let go of Cloud's collar and hand and her body wrenched as she fell back to the floor and gasped for breath. "Tifa!" Cloud cradled the brown-haired woman in his arms and breathed a sigh of relief as she started to regain a normal pace of breathing. "Tifa…"

Tifa opened her eyes and looked up at Cloud, a small grin forming on her face. "Cloud…" By this time, everyone else had come to, also. Slowly, they were sitting up and taking in their surroundings.

"What the _hell _was that?" Reno demanded with a look of shock on his face.

"Sephiroth." All heads turned to Vincent, who was now standing with his head to the sky. "He communicated with us, through Tifa. Cloud, what he said, it doesn't apply to you and only you. We saw his plan in action in Mideel, Sephiroth is slowly draining the Planet of life, and in that way he will 'take everything away from you'."

Cloud didn't speak for a moment. "How can we stop him?"

"We have to find him," Vincent replied, "But whether or not he is even present in a bodily form is unknown…"

"Cloud, I had visions…" Tifa started, rubbing her forehead gingerly. "While I was asleep, I saw things…"

"Like what?" Cloud asked, interested, but at the same time somewhat worried.

"The Shin-Ra manor in Nibelheim…"

"He may be trying to tell us something." Vincent suggested from his place on the stairs. The cloaked man wasn't looking at the group, but instead was studying his clawed hand as if he had never seen it before as it lay limply on his raised knee.

Cloud looked up and found Reeve several feet away. "We may need another ride."

Reeve nodded. "That'll be fine, Cloud."

"_What_?" Again, everyone in the room focused on one person, this time it was Cid. "What the hells wrong with the _Shera_? She's perfectly fine to fly!"

Reeve grinned. "Are you in any shape to fly, Cid?"

"I'm a goddamn pilot, Reeve – of course I'm ready to fly!"

"Well then, we shouldn't be wasting any time." Reeve responded with an even wider grin.

* * *

"So what happens if we find him?"

"We'll do our best to kill him, I guess."

Elena wasn't happy with that answer. Sephiroth was a dangerous man, and she knew that Tseng knew it just as well as she – if not better. Lying on the table in the Lounge of the _Shera _was a rocket launcher, and an assault rifle. "You're going to use these?"

Tseng shook his head without looking up at Elena. "I can't. My injury wouldn't allow me to. Reno and Rude will probably handle them."

Eyeing the rocket launcher, Elena cocked an eyebrow. "Are we planning on blowing up the entire mansion?"

Tseng laughed. "If that's what it takes, then yes."

The door to the Lounge opened and Reno and Rude came into the room. Reno eyed the two Turks and laughed. "I'm sorta' surprised that it don't smell like sex in here." The comment earned him a smack across the back of his head by Elena – who immediately jumped up from her seat to deliver the smack – and an angry look from Tseng. Rude didn't react at all, but only sat down on one of the white couches and grabbed the assault rifle off of the table and started examining it.

"A relationship between co-workers is strictly prohibited." Tseng said simply. "I value my job...and unless you don't, Reno, I'd suggest you keep your foolish comments to yourself."

Reno nodded with a look of understanding on his face. "Yeah, my bad, boss…forgot that you were gay." This time, Rude reacted by turning sharply to Reno, who only laughed and told his partner to calm down. "Tseng knows that I'm just teasing…now anyways, who's gonna' get to shoot this baby off?" Reno was eyeing the rocket launcher.

Tseng slowly let his angry gaze linger away from Reno and he drew in a breath before replying. "Rude will."

"Damn."

"And you'll have the rifle…I've already decided that we should stay outside of the mansion while Cloud and his companions go inside, just in case Sephiroth tries to escape."

"_If _he's even in there…" Reno replied quickly, "Truthfully, I think that we shouldn't even be involved in this mess. Sephiroth is their problem – not ours."

Tseng nodded. "I agree, but theoretically speaking, Sephiroth is more of Shin-Ra's responsibility than anyone else since we were the ones who created him."

"Hojo should have been shot a long time ago." Reno drawled.

Tentatively, Tseng nodded again. "I have to admit, he was definitely odd."

Reno stood up and stretched. "Well…I'm gonna' go hang out in the cockpit…Partner, come on, we'll leave these two alone for awhile." Reno said with a devilish grin as he walked out of the Lounge.

Hesitantly, Rude got up and without saying anything, put down the PR-18 and walked out of the Lounge, leaving the fuming Elena and Tseng alone. In the elevator, Rude found Reno leaning against the wall with a snug grin set into his features. Rude kept his usual stoicism intact, as Reno could only stand there with the grin plastered to his face, apparently satisfied with what he had said to Tseng and Elena.

Walking out of the elevator, Reno leaned heavily against the railing that overlooked a wide open space below that was probably for cargo. Rude stood next to Reno for some time before he, too, leaned on the rails and looked down at the empty space. "I think you're jealous." He announced, very nonchalantly at that.

Reno looked at Rude with a confused face. "Huh?"

"You're jealous." Rude repeated.

Reno cocked an eyebrow. "Of what?" Then he looked back down at the cargo area below and shook his head. "I mean…the _Shera _is nice and all, but why the hell would I be jealous of it?"

"Don't evade it." Rude said, his eyes staring at Reno through his dark shades.

"Evade what?" Reno asked, voice rising a bit. "What the hell are you talking about, Rude?"

"Elena and Tseng."

"…" Reno furrowed his eyebrows and turned away from Rude. "Uh, partner…I'm not following."

Rude laughed deeply, a rare and _real _laugh at that. "Don't deny it, Reno. I know it when I see it."

"See what?" Reno queried, and Rude started to wonder if Reno was just playing dumb or if he was truly unaware of what Rude was accusing him of.

Rude sighed. "Do you remember two years ago when we were in Wutai?"

"When we were on leave and AVALANCHE just happened to show up?"

Rude nodded. "Remember when that Wutainese kid tried to flirt with Elena?"

Reno laughed. "You mean the fat one?"

"Yes…the one that you followed out of the bar and beat the living shit out of…"

Reno laughed again. "Oh yeah, I remember that guy!" Reno grinned happily. "What a jackass."

"…There's my point."

Reno cocked an eyebrow. "Alright, partner, enough with the beating around the bush…what the hell's your _point_?"

"You beat that guy up because he tried to hit on Elena."

Apparently it dawned on Reno because a look of shock came a cross his face. "You tryin' to say that I – wait a minute, what the hell? I beat that guy up because he called me a 'stupid son of a bitch'."

Rude laughed. "And he wouldn't have said that if you wouldn't have told him to back off of Elena."

Reno shook his head and laughed. "Partner, I don't like _Elena_, if that's even what you're trying to say." Reno went back to leaning on the rails. "You know how it is with me and her. We're always arguing, always at each others throat about something."

"Sometimes." Rude interrupted sternly. "And when you're not, you're best of friends."

"Tch." Reno straightened again. "What choice do I have? She's my partner, man, a fellow Turk. It's either 'get along', or 'get another job'."

Rude sighed. "Are you sure you're not just jealous about Elena's feelings toward Tseng?" Rude turned to Reno. "And maybe you're just scared that Tseng feels the same way about her." Reno just shook his head in response. "Look, partner, I've known you for a while…"

Reno turned away from Rude and started toward the door. "Hey, partner, just drop it, okay?" He said, turning momentarily to talk to Rude. "I'm not gonna' say I like her just so you don't feel dumb for thinking the wrong thing."

Rude sighed and followed Reno into the cockpit without another word on that subject coming from either of their mouths afterwards.

* * *

Cloud stopped just outside of the road that was nestled between two small Nibelheim homes. Picket fences were on either side of the road, separating it from the houses. Taking a breath, Cloud started forward in slow steps. While Nibelheim was also his hometown and a place where he had a good handful of fond memories with Tifa and his parents, it was also the focal point for all of his troubles. This was where he first faced Sephiroth, and in the process bested him, but it was also the place where so many things had happened to him – Hojo's experiments, Sephiroth's madness, and Cloud's own confusion –so in a way going into Nibelheim was somewhat of a frightening thing.

Next to him was Tifa, and on the other side was Vincent, the only other people in the group who had spent a large amount of time in Nibelheim besides Cloud. Neither Tifa, nor Vincent, reacted to stepping into Nibelheim. Going into Nibelheim, however, with the knowledge that the group had, put everyone into a very serious mood that did not call for much talking or joking. Cloud stopped and glanced around, not seeing a single thing out of place in the town that had been resurrected from the ashes once, thanks to Shin-Ra.

Without saying a word, Cloud led the group north to the gates of the Shin-Ra manor. Once there he stopped and stared at the building with wandering eyes. Vincent, too, stared at the structure with eyes that scrutinized the building's very existence.

"So this is the Shin-Ra manor." Rufus said, stepping up next to Vincent. "I've never been here." Behind him stood the Turks, each was armed with some kind of weapon, which that ranged from handguns, to an assault rifle, to a rocket launcher.

"It is a place of much pain and despair for many." Vincent deadpanned, pushing past the Shin-Ra president and opening the heavy iron gates of the manor. The others followed, and Vincent walked straight to the doors of the mansion without stopping to study the gloomy courtyard. Without skipping a beat, Vincent pushed the door open with his clawed hand. A rush of cold air hit him initially, but Vincent would adjust to it soon enough.

"Vincent –" Tseng started, and the red-caped man turned to look at the Turk leader. "Reno, Rude, Elena, Rufus, and I are going to wait out here, just in case Sephiroth tries to make an escape, we'll stop him dead in his tracks."

Vincent watched the Turk leader for several moments before solemnly nodding his head. "So be it." He said dryly before turning and entering the Shin-Ra manor.

"Sounds like you're all just wussin' out on us." Cid commented before heading into the mansion, earning a snide comment from Reno that involved the middle finger.

When the door shut behind the last one to enter the manor, Vincent took a breath and looked around. At one time, the manor was quite nice, but the years had done horrible things to the mansion that reflected the horrible things that occurred in its bowels. Cobwebs and dust were in abundance, and a smell of aged, stale, air attacked his nostrils. "Tifa, what area of this mansion did you see?"

Thinking back Tifa took a moment and responded only after thinking for several seconds, sounding certain of her answer. "The library."

Vincent nodded and led the group forward and to a staircase that was set to the right side of a balcony that overlooked the first room of the manor. Each step seemed to have its own, distinct, screech, as the group of eight that included all of AVALANCHE and Reeve who was holding Cait Sith's mechanical body as a kid would hold a favorite toy. Once they cleared the first staircase, another, much shorter and straighter, staircase waited for them. At the top, three large windows greeted them. At one time, the windows had thrown a brilliant light into the mansion, but were now blackened with age and only pale gray light bled through.

"Oh, I've always hated this place…" Yuffie groaned, shivering at her surroundings, which all screamed haunted.

"This way," Vincent announced, ignoring Yuffie's fear of the mansion and walking to the right and into an empty hallway. He turned right again, leading the group through an open door and then took a left that ended them up in a small room with a rounded stone structure in the northeast corner of the room. "Be ready," Vincent warned, approaching the stone structure and reaching his clawed hand out toward it. The stones were dusty and old; grime had formed on them from years of not being cleaned. "Sephiroth may be waiting for us." When Vincent touched one of the rectangular stones, part of the structure moved, a secret door opening with a loud rush of air, recessing somewhere into the stone structure, opening up to a spiral staircase made of rickety wooden stairs that went several stories down to the basement. A chilly draft came from below, and from the top of the stairs, a thin mist could be seen lingering at the bottom.

Cid laughed as he looked past Barret's large form. Cheekily, he pointed out the decayed steps as Vincent led the group down them. The steps were rotted from years of moisture that warped and weakened it to a point of the wood being close to unusable. "Better be careful big guy, might make the damn thing collapse."

"Yeah, yeah." Barret mocked blowing off Cid's comment and easing out onto the wooden staircase just after Yuffie and Tifa. Cid followed behind and found himself uneasy as the steps squealed with each of Barret's footsteps. Barret was far from unconcerned also, as each of his steps were careful and measured so as to not put too much of his weight on a single place in the steps. Suddenly there was a crack and Barret cursed the gods for the steps being so decayed.

"Careful." Vincent called from several steps down. "They are old and fragile."

"Yeah, no shit." Barret muttered angrily as he eased down past the splintered step. With a breath, Barret took the next step much slower and eased his way toward Yuffie who was three steps ahead. At the rate that they were moving, even Vincent – who was the farthest down – hadn't even made it halfway. Barret turned to Cid and grinned impishly. "You okay, old man?"

Cid raised his upper lip in a snarl and narrowed his eyes at Barret. "How 'bout you keep watchin' those steps so you don't – "

_CRUNCH_

Barret boot went straight through a plank, and the rest of his weight followed, sending him forward and crashing down onto the next few steps in front of him. With a loud _crack _they crumbled under Barret's large frame and his arms flailed frantically as he tried to hoist himself back up. With a gap of about four steps between himself and Barret, Cid was helpless to do anything, but Cloud was already acting fast. Running quickly, the spiky-haired blonde ascended the steps without adhering to the cracks and squeaks that the old structure was making below his heavy boot steps.

"Take my arm!" Cloud ordered when he reached Barret's side, extending his arm to the much larger Barret.

Without hesitation, Barret reached up and grabbed Cloud's hand. With both arms, Cloud pulled with all of his strength as Yuffie, Tifa, Reeve, and Red XIII backed away from Cloud to give him room on the narrow staircase. Groaning, Cloud pulled back with all of his might, and Barret's body – every last overwhelming pound of it – started to come up out of the gaping hole. When everything was looking good, and Barret was merely inches from getting back onto the stairs, there was a horrible creak and the entire structure vibrated. At his left, Cloud took note of several bolts coming loose from the wall – and just then the steps swayed.

Suddenly the entire staircase started to tremble, every last plank shaking as the structure became unstable. Then with a jolt, the bolts that held the steps to the wall gave way and the steps tilted inwards all around. At the same time, everyone found themselves falling down and clambering to stay atop the steps. The staircase gave way all the way around the entire structure at the same time, and all eight of them plummeted down to the bottom.

* * *

Reno peered out around the gate and saw nothing. None of the townspeople were out, and the place was as quiet as Rude. Reno turned back around and faced the Shin-Ra mansion, not the least bit impressed with the structure that was decades old. What had once been gleaning rock was now dull, chipped, and weathered away. Vines had taken most of the mansion, wrapping their green arms tightly around the manor in an unforgiving embrace. The windows were blackened and not a thing could be seen through them. Even the door on the front was old and beaten, as was the front gate of the courtyard that was literally falling to pieces with each passing moment. The courtyard itself was made of mostly dirt with some ugly splotches of dead grass here and there.

Reno sighed and looked down at the assault rifle that he held. Cocking it, Reno raised the gun and looked through its scope that zoomed in far enough that he could see what kind of screws were in the hinges of the mansion door from where he stood about forty yards away. Philip-head screws, of course. He couldn't help but imagine Sephiroth's mug through the scope, and he mock-fired the gun, imagining the bullet ripping right in between Sephiroth's eyeballs.

"Practicing?"

Reno lowered the gun and looked at Rude, whose face expressed no emotion whatsoever. Reno scoffed and grinned widely. "I could pick someone off a mile away."

Rude grinned, surprisingly, and hefted the rocket launcher onto his shoulder. "I can pick off about ten at a time."

Reno smirked and lowered the PR-18 rifle to his side. "Mine takes much more skill." Just then, Reno caught Tseng's eye watching him.

"Do you two always act like this?" The black-haired Turk leader asked coolly, grinning just the slightest bit. Apparently, he had forgotten about the incident earlier in the _Shera _lounge.

Reno shrugged. "We're so good at our job that we find ways to squeeze in the horseplay. Just ask 'Lena, she witnesses Rude's and my own talent on each and every mission!" Suddenly, Tseng's grin disappeared and he focused hardly on the mansion. "Somethin' wrong, Tseng?"

Tseng cocked his head and narrowed his eyes at the building. "I thought I heard something…"

"Whatever the case," Rufus, who had been quiet up until this point, started, "I hope that you are all ready to use those weapons if Sephiroth walks out of that door."

Reno laughed and pointed the PR-18 back at the door. "Don't worry, boss, I can fill him with lead faster than Rude can do ten pushups." Rude looked at Reno and cocked an eyebrow. "Any of you ever seen him do that before? He's like a machine or something."

Tseng shook his head and laughed. "Can't say I have…actually, I'm not quite as enamored with Rude as you are Reno." Tseng said snidely, reminiscent of Reno's less-than flattering jokes from earlier in the day.

Reno lowered the assault rifle and stared daggers at Tseng, but the Turk leader could only laugh and grin widely at his own joke. Rude cleared his throat loudly and then Reno turned back to the mansion door. "You're lucky that you're the one who makes Rufus pay me." Reno remarked venomously.

Tseng scoffed. "You're lucky you're still a Turk."

Reno bit his lower lip and then shrugged heavily. "Well, when you find someone better let me know."

"Maybe you don't remember, Reno, but when you were injured, the Turk's did just fine without you." Elena commented, speaking for the first time in the last five minutes.

Reno snarled and raised his PR-18 again, this time pretending that Elena was standing by the door, and mock-firing at the imaginary picture.

* * *

"Sonuvabitch!" Cid clambered to his feet and coughed as the unsettled dust around him loomed in the air. Near him, Barret sat up, followed by Yuffie, Vincent, Tifa, Red XIII, Cloud and then Reeve. Every last one of them was covered in decades-old dust, and they all had minor scrapes on either their arms or knees, or both. "We shoulda' just left _your _ass outside!" Cid barked, pointing an accusing finger at Barret whose face twisted in anger.

Yuffie looked at Cid with a glare. "Cid!" She interjected, "Take it easy on him!"

"You just mind your own business, girly!"

Following their brief sickness from Jenova cells, this event proved that AVALANCHE was indeed in good health.

"Ain't my goddamn fault the stairs are old!" Barret roared in response. He opened his mouth to speak again, but stopped when Vincent silenced both of them with a hand – and Yuffie, who was on the verge of having a sort of 'tantrum'.

"Listen…" Vincent ordered, as he himself sat still and listened for something that only he had heard. "…Someone's there." Vincent whispered, pointing down the corridor in front of them. Slowly, Vincent climbed to his feet and stepped carefully around the mess of wood and metal that covered the floor. Cloud was next to stand, and everyone else followed suit. Vincent started forward, and AVALANCHE followed.

Vincent led them down what seemed an endless corridor of rock. As the group walked further in, flocks of bats squealed in surprise and fluttered off into the darkness. Yuffie squealed equally as loud as the creatures zipped down the dark hallway. The air was chilly and moist, and every sound echoed endlessly through the passageway. Once the group came upon a room that was crafted out of the side of the wall, Vincent stopped and stared at it. It was the place where he had slept for many years.

Cloud walked past him and stared through a stone archway, on the other side he could see shelves and tables stacked with books and old laboratory utensils – beakers, burners, and the like. Cloud turned to Vincent to inform him that he was going inside, but was cut off by a thump that came from inside the room he had just examined. Cloud turned back to the archway and removed First Tsurugi from its sheath. As he entered the next room, Cloud found nothing but the cluttered tables and shelves that had as much dust on them as books and old lab tools. To the left was another passage. To his right was…

Cloud stared emotionlessly at the two person-sized beakers that sat across the room. The vile green-yellow liquid inside still bubbled from an unknown source of oxygen that was pumped into the glass container. Painful memories flooded his mind, blurred his vision, and made his heart ache. Zack…

"Cloud." A voice called, Tifa was standing beside him. "Leave it." She whispered.

Cloud stared for several more seconds at the containers before turning away from them, and at the same time away from those memories. He nodded silently and then led the way to the next room. The long corridor they entered next was lined with shelves that were packed with old texts, and where there was not space on the shelves, piles of books as high as his knees lay on the floor. While some were stacked neatly (or somewhat neatly), most were strewn about, discarded on the floor after being read instead of being placed back on the old shelves. With cautious steps, Cloud continued down the corridor, almost scared to step into the next room. When he did, something happened. At the time, he wasn't sure what, but he felt an odd jolt.

"Tifa, did you feel that?" He asked, staring into the next book-shelf walled room. When there was no answer, Cloud turned to Tifa and found that she was staring straight ahead, seemingly at nothing. Cloud waved a hand in front of her, but there was no reaction. At first, Cloud worried that it was her earlier Geostigma. "Tifa?" Just as soon as Cloud came to the conclusion that she was under the effects of a Stop spell, and not under the effects of Geostigma, he tried to access his materia but found it impossible. He, too, was under the effects of some spell, namely Silence. The name itself meant nothing however, as the myth that it impaired the victim's ability to speak was completely false. Even if the Silence spell did spoil the afflicted persons ability to speak, that would mean nothing since using Materia was strictly a matter of willpower.

"Don't bother." A voice whispered from seemingly every direction. "You are silenced, and all of your allies are frozen in time."

"I've noticed." Cloud deadpanned, searching the room for the speaker. The voice sounded unfamiliar as it seemed to be an echo of ones voice, nothing but a shadow of a mans voice. "Where are you?"

"You're just not looking hard enough." The voice replied coolly. This time, its direction came from only one way – behind Cloud.

Cloud spun around, and his throat dried, and his heart stopped, as two Mako-blue eyes stared at him. They were not of a man, but the eyes of a _monster_. The pupils were elongated and sharp, distinct from any normal human – maybe the mark of insanity. The bright color of the persons eyes did not take anything away from the menacing orbs, however, that were set into a slender and pale face that was framed perfectly by silvery hair that fell down to the person's exposed chest. Two black buckles crossed the person's chest, strapped to something inside of the long black leather coat that the person wore. A high, arched collar only accented the persons threatening appearance, and two steel shoulder pads glimmered in the dim light.

"We meet again…"


	7. Chapter 7

**Final Fantasy VII**

**Rebirth**

A/N: Chapter seven is here, and I'm starting to create a concrete plot now. I've got it all in my head, and I think that this fic should do pretty good after I tie everything up. I know that this update is SUPER late, but my online has been messed up lately so sorry about that. Look for another update between now and next wednesday probably.

I have one review, but two hundred and fourty-six hits, so I know that people are reading it. To those people I say thank you for showing interest, and I hope that I continue to keep your attention. A few reviews criticizing my work would allow me to make this fic better. I kinda feel like the story is getting a little out of hand, a little too freespirited if you will. I'll try to tighten the plot and story up a bit, so just hang in there.

So, as usual, enjoy this chapter!

* * *

**Chapter VII**

"Sephiroth!" Without hesitation, Cloud swung First Tsurugi but missed as Sephiroth flipped out of the way and over a table, successfully creating a distance between Cloud and himself. Cloud snarled, angry.

"Like a dog…" Sephiroth commented at Cloud's raised lip.

"What do you want with this Planet!?" Cloud demanded angrily, pointing his sword at Sephiroth.

Sephiroth grinned, though it was more of a small smirk. "How many times must I answer to that same question, Cloud, before you finally understand?" Sephiroth's eyes glimmered with malice, and his grin widened. "I am sure you received my message, Cloud, through her." Sephiroth was now staring at Tifa's frozen body.

"Leave her out of this!" Cloud warned, eyes narrowing, body tensing.

Sephiroth looked back at Cloud, and tilted his head slightly. His movements were slow and graceful, quite contrary to what he actually was. "I am not concerned with her, Cloud."

"Then why me? Why the world?" Cloud demanded.

Sephiroth's smirk returned. "The world…because it is what my mother would want," He replied, raising his hands from his sides and staring up at the ceiling. Sephiroth closed his eyes as he spoke. "She came to this Planet, whether by accident or purpose it does not matter, and hated it. It is my will to carry out her own."

"You're insane! Jenova was an alien that lived long ago!"

Sephiroth looked back down at Cloud and laughed. "And so her legacy still lives on inside of me…"

"Then why _me_? Why do you target me? What makes you think that I'm stopping you from destroying the Planet?"

Sephiroth grinned again. "Because there are things you love, Cloud. Hopes, dreams, family, friends – if I destroy the Planet, all of those things will be taken away from you. I am sure that you'll be there every step of the way, Cloud, all the way to this Planet's final days…and I'll make sure to stay one step ahead the entire time."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Well, I've gotten quite a head start, Cloud. Already, Jenova cells are spilling back out into the world and are poisoning all life. I would imagine that the Mideel continent is quite contaminated by now, and the Midgar Marsh should be dry by now, don't you think so, Cloud? By doing that, all you did was revealed a new exit for the Jenova Cells."

Cloud trembled with anger.

Sephiroth only laughed at Cloud's fury. "When will you realize, Cloud, that all you are is a puppet? Those hopes and dreams of yours – they are nothing. They are an illusion; _your life _is an illusion, Cloud. You're not meant to be. Don't you understand that?" Cloud was silent as Sephiroth went into his coat and pulled out several pieces of battered, aged, paper. "_Escapee report number one, unspecified month, unspecified day,_" Sephiroth started, reading from one of the papers. "_The two escapees were located near Midgar_," Sephiroth shuffled through the papers before finding the next. "_Escapee report number 2. Description of the time of capture. Specimen A: former member of SOLDIER, slash, number is unspecified. No effect could be detected from either Mako Radiation Therapy or Jenova on him. _

"_Specimen B: Regular, slash, unspecified number. Reaction to Jenova detected._" Sephiroth looked up at Cloud and grinned widely. In the blink of an eye, Sephiroth's form flickered, as if his life were not meant to be, and he disappeared. "Cloud, come see this." Sephiroth called from the room that had the beakers inside. Cloud followed wearily.

Inside, Cloud saw that Sephiroth was standing in front of the beakers, looking at them as if scrutinizing them. AVALANCHE stood about the room, oblivious to the fact that their greatest enemy was standing in the same room as them. The Stop spell was complicated, as it also seemingly halted brain function, making the registering of information impossible for the inflicted. "Sephiroth, what are you trying to prove?"

Sephiroth pointed at one of the beakers. "You were…once inside…" Sephiroth explained in a low voice. "Your code was 'C', while the one next to you was 'Z'. That was Zack Fair…Zack was also referred to as Specimen A, while you were Specimen B."

"I already know the story." Cloud said, glaring at Sephiroth. "You don't need to explain it."

"_Escapee report number 3_," Sephiroth read from the papers he held, ignoring Cloud, "_Concerning their disposal…Specimen A shot for resisting. Specimen B escaped during A's resistance_."

"That's a lie…" Cloud countered, angry. "They left me for dead after killing Zack!"

Sephiroth grinned. "The soldiers who left you were scared they'd get in trouble if they said otherwise." Sephiroth shuffled through the papers again and then read, "_Escapee report number 4. Other…Specimen B's whereabouts is currently unknown. But, we submit there is no need to pursue him, due to his diminishing consciousness. Awaiting further instructions_." Sephiroth looked up and let the papers fall to the floor. A sick grin spread over his face. "You see, Cloud, you weren't supposed to live…you're a mistake, a failure, and a _mistake_."

Suddenly there was a bright flash that blinded Cloud for several seconds. His vision came back slowly, and a blurry image was revealed to him. In front of him stood Hojo, the crazed Shin-Ra scientist, and in front of Hojo were the person-sized beakers. Inside of each, a body floated, suspended in the liquid, with hoses inside of their mouths, supplying them oxygen. One was Zack, the other, Cloud.

"Hojo!" Cloud screamed, anger suddenly rising up inside of him.

"Don't even bother." Sephiroth said, suddenly appearing next to Cloud. "He can't hear you."

Furious, Cloud swung his blade at Sephiroth. First Tsurugi bit deep into Sephiroth's upper body, a huge gash trailing behind the blade as Cloud cut through the left side of Sephiroth's chest, and deep enough to cut off his right arm when First Tsurugi exited Sephiroth's body. The former SOLDIER General laughed as his skin bubbled, the gash closing quickly, and his severed appendage morphed into a puddle of black liquid that crawled toward Sephiroth's boot, and rejoined his being. The next second, a new arm was growing in place of the severed one.

"I am only a mirror image of myself right now, Cloud. It is useless." Sephiroth warned. "Just watch these…" As if a fast forward button had been hit, images flew past Cloud, and the scenery changed. The tanks were empty of bodies, and Hojo was slamming his fists against them, all of this in less than a second. Then time stopped and Cloud and Sephiroth were standing before Zack's dead body. Cloud's past self was lying nearby, head lolling in a somewhat comatose state. "You left him, Cloud. You didn't care if he died."

"_Liar_!" Cloud bellowed, snarling once again. "Zack was dead long before I could do anything about it!"

"Look…" Sephiroth whispered, pointing as Cloud's doppelganger wobbled to his feet and stood unsteadily. His head was still rolling, eyelids fluttering in dizziness.

Then Zack moved, his arm reaching up into the air. And he spoke. "…C- Cloud…" Cloud's past self turned to Zack. "H…help me, Cloud…"

Cloud narrowed his eyes. "That's not the way it happened…"

Cloud's past self turned away and wobbled off into the woods.

"You see, Cloud, you left Zack to die. You could have saved him…he struggled to live – suffered – for an entire hour before he was finally dead. Cloud, _you _let Zack suffer." Sephiroth turned to Cloud with scrutinizing eyes. "How could you let him die after he helped you out of your prison in the Shin-Ra mansion? If it weren't for him, you'd be a monster, twisted by Hojo's experiments."

"Lies…" Cloud retorted. "That didn't happen." Cloud's fists trembled with anger.

Sephiroth grinned smugly, and again, time fast forwarded itself and Cloud and Sephiroth were standing on a narrow metal beam, and before them was Jessie of AVALANCHE. Her foot was stuck in the grating of the metal beam. They were inside of Mako Reactor Number One, the very first mission Cloud had ever been on as a member of AVALANCHE. "Cloud…you remember this, don't you?"

Just as Sephiroth said this, Cloud and Barret's past selves were running up some stairs, trying to escape the Reactor before it exploded as the timer was constantly reminding them of how close the explosion was. At the top, Jessie called for help, but Cloud's past self continued moving while Barret called for Cloud to help him get Jessie unstuck.

"She's not _my _friend." Cloud's past self said simply, leaving Jessie and Barret's past self as he continued along the path.

Cloud's face twisted into anger. "Sephiroth, stop this! I know what happened…I _remember_ what happened! I helped Jessie and told Barret to go on ahead."

"…or so you _think_." Sephiroth mumbled. "Do you…remember this, then?" Time fast forwarded again for quite some time. Many images zipped past in a blur before finally, it slowed, and Cloud found himself standing before a set of stairs on a raised platform next to Sephiroth. At the top of the stairs was a circular area with rails all the way around it and an odd glass dome that covered the area except for one large area at the very top. The City of the Ancients. Aerith was in the middle of the circular area.

Cloud's heart skipped a beat and he dropped First Tsurugi and fell to his knees. "No, you bastard! _NO!_" Cloud turned to Sephiroth. "Stop it, now!" Just then, his past self walked up onto the platform, with Buster Sword in hand. His past self stood to the side and watched Aerith who was unaware of his presence. Cloud's past self circled Aerith several times before stopping and smirking. Cloud's doppelganger looked up into the sky and said, "Sephiroth. Do it now."

Sephiroth grinned. "Do you remember, Cloud?" Sephiroth asked. "You let her _die_…"

Furious, Cloud grabbed First Tsurugi and jumped up and ran up the stairs two at a time. Just as he heard the past Sephiroth's coat flapping in the wind above, Cloud ran and stood overtop of Aerith's praying form. Screaming, wishing it would help, Cloud attempted to cover Aerith, but his arms slipped through her and the blade of the past Sephiroth came down with such grace that it was sickening, impaling Aerith where she kneeled, completely replicating what had happened two years ago. All of the pain and sorrow flooded through Cloud, but then he realized that it was Sephiroth's fault – not his own. At that moment, anger swept through Cloud and he screamed once again, feeling a pounding sensation in his chest and head. In blind fury, Cloud stood up and leapt from the platform in which Aerith had been slain, and landed near Sephiroth.

"Cloud – " But Sephiroth didn't have time to speak and Cloud slashed wildly, First Tsurugi digging deep into Sephiroth's body. As quickly as they came, though, the wounds healed, but Cloud continued to swing in blind fury that he couldn't even begin to describe. He didn't think, only acted. There was no determining of where the next blow would land, or whether or not it was having any effect – Cloud just swung until both arms started to weaken, but even then he did not give in. Still screaming, Cloud drew First Tsurugi back and lashed out with a powerful swing. The sword cut clean through Sephiroth's neck, and the next moment the gray-haired mans head was sliding off of his shoulders.

With a _thump _the head fell to the floor. Cloud, exhausted, dropped First Tsurugi and fell to a knee. His arms ached, his head throbbed, his body was overheated, and his heart was pumping rapidly. Cloud breathed fast, unevenly as if clawing for the air desperately, and when he looked up, he realized that Sephiroth's form was dissolving into liquid – into nothing. The scenery around him changed, dissolved along with Sephiroth, and then a flash blinded Cloud for a brief second.

His vision returned slowly, at first very blurry, but when everything focused back in, Cloud realized that he was back in the Shin-Ra manor. There was also a ringing in his ear that he hadn't heard before, but when it left, Cloud realized that Tifa was beside him and calling his name.

"Cloud! Are you okay?"

Cloud squeezed his eyes tightly, trying to rid himself of the blurry vision. "…Yeah. Are you?"

Tifa nodded reassuringly and then helped Cloud to his feet. "What happened?"

Cloud then realized that he was still panting like he had just run nonstop from Edge to Kalm and then back again. Cloud shook his head. "I saw…images…" Cloud said through deep breaths. " – Sephiroth's trickery."

"Did you_ see_ Sephiroth?"

Cloud hesitated and then nodded. "Yes…he's gone now…"

Tifa looked around, worried. "You're sure?"

Cloud nodded. "Positive."

"What the hell happened!? One minute we're walking behind you're spiky-haired ass, the next you're all the way in the next room!" It was Cid's booming, somewhat obnoxious, voice that made Cloud turn around.

Just then, there was a loud _boom _as the ground beneath their very feet rocked like an earthquake.

* * *

Elena watched as Reno made a 'pat-pat-pat' sound while mock-shooting something in the distance. Very unprofessionally-like, Reno was sitting on the ground, while his faithful partner and friend stood beside the red-head with a stoic mask that revealed nothing. The large rocket-launcher that Rude held fit him perfectly, as they were both big and bulky, and equally dangerous. Her eyes drifted over to Rufus, who was leaning heavily against the brick wall that separated the courtyard from the rest of Nibelheim. On his face, was a look that told her that he was annoyed, probably anxious to get out of here and back to his resort home in Healin.

"Elena." Tseng's cool voice had an unusual sharpness to it, one which made Elena snap out of her thoughts and stand straight.

"Sir?" She responded instantly, staring straight ahead in as a professional manor that she could muster.

Tseng chuckled lightly. "Relax. I just wondered if you heard something."

Elena raised an eyebrow, relaxing her muscles. "You heard something again?"

Tseng nodded.

"It's called an overactive imagination, sir!" Reno called out from several feet away.

Tseng frowned. "I could've sworn that I did…"

By this time, Reno had risen to his feet; still 'pat-pat-patting' as he pretended to fire off imaginary rounds at Gaia knew what. "Hey, Tseng, I know that Sephiroth's 'sposed to be all powerful and whatnot, but d'ya think he can stand up to this gun and Rude's launcher-thingy?"

Tseng shook his head at Reno's unprofessional 'launcher-thingy' phrase.

"You sayin' no?" Reno asked, questioning Tseng's shake of his head.

"Oh – no. No, I'm not, Reno. Truthfully, I can't give you a straight answer."

"Ah what the hell." Reno blurted. "It don't matter as long as I can fill that bastard up with bullets." Reno stood up and walked over to the gate of the courtyard, tilting his head slightly as he looked out into the small town of Nibelheim. "So where the hell is everyone, anyways?"

"After Sephiroth destroyed the town, Shin-Ra rebuilt it to cover up the destruction…" Tseng answered, looking straight ahead and not faltering even as he discussed the malevolence of the company he worked for. "Some fake residents were hired and placed here, but soon enough, everyone stopped paying attention to the town, and Shin-Ra found no reason to keep the people here." Tseng looked over his shoulder, into the streets of Nibelheim. "It's a real-life ghost town now."

Reno shook his head and walked back toward Rude and took place next to the bald Turk. "Shame." Reno mumbled, lifting the PR-18 and starting to 'pat-pat-pat' again, and just then the mansion door opened. It opened slow, creaking in the process. Reno turned the safety off quickly and held the PR-18 sturdy, staring straight down the barrel and through the crosshairs of the scope that was mounted atop the rifle. He trained the crosshairs on the door, in about the place of where a mans head would be if someone were to walk out of the mansion.

Although he was hoping for it, Reno was still somewhat shocked when Sephiroth stepped out of the mansion. At that exact moment, his index finger squeezed the trigger, no hesitation, and an endless string of bullets rained from the barrel of the gun. The PR-18 came fully automatic, standard. There was no other firing mode, only the fully automatic mode that was designed to tear a human being to pieces. Reno first laid eyes on the rifle during a test, and was taken aback by the rifles firepower. That same month, Reno saw the weapon in action. With so much firepower backing it up, the PR-18 literally tore a target limb from limb, leaving the poor soul in a bloody mess.

The PR-18 ammunition tore holes in Sephiroth, ripping through him and speckling the walls and door behind the man as they exited from Sephiroth's back. Dust surrounded Sephiroth in a matter of seconds as scores of bullets flew from the barrel of the PR-18. So enamored in his own destruction, Reno did not notice that Elena and Tseng's handguns were firing rapidly beside him, even though the report from the Turk Special's was much louder than the PR-18's relatively quiet but random and endless 'tat-tat-tat'. That was, until the assault rifle clicked dry and Reno's temporary trance disappeared, and he suddenly became aware of the blasting handguns next to him.

Wincing from the handgun blasts, Reno reached into his back pocket where another clip waited for him, fresh, and full of bullets. It was sticking half out of his pocket since it was far too large to actually fit inside. Reno retrieved it and swiftly ejected the empty clip and replaced it with a smack of his palm at about the same time that Tseng and Elena's handguns clicked dry. By the time Reno raised the assault rifle again, the debris and dust from before had settled a bit and gave way to Sephiroth's form. Flawless and fully intact, Sephiroth was still walking forward. Reno raised an eyebrow and steadied the crosshairs of the rifle carefully on Sephiroth's forehead as the other Turk's fired with their handguns after reloading them. Disturbed, Reno noted that the bullets were going completely _through _Sephiroth, but he did not let that wane his concentration.

Crosshairs trained on Sephiroth's pale face, Reno squeezed the trigger and streak of bullets exploded from the rifle. Somewhat maliciously, Reno gradually arced the PR-18 downwards, imagining the bullets ripping through Sephiroth until Reno hit dirt at Sephiroth's feet – then he pulled the rifle back up and fired into the dust that was gathered around Sephiroth's body. Like a textbook horror movie, Sephiroth's unscathed body emerged from the dust and Reno could have pissed his pants if he weren't so preoccupied with trying to figure out just what the hell Sephiroth actually was.

Without warning, the basketball-sized launcher that Rude was holding fired off one of its large rounds. The sound was deafening as Rude was pretty much right next to Reno and Reno had not been prepared for it. Wincing, Reno covered his right ear – the side that Rude was standing on – but maintained his sight on Sephiroth's unharmed body as the large missile honed in on the silver-haired man. At the last possible moment, the missile descended sharply and hit the dirt just inches in front of Sephiroth's feet. At that instant, a plume of orange and red flames exploded in front of the silver-haired man and engulfed him and everything around him in its blaze.

A huge cloud of dust erupted from within the fireball that the launcher had produced, spreading outwards and finally sweeping past the Turk's and their boss in a shockwave of dirt and debris. All four men and Elena stumbled backwards and fell as the explosion was quite near them and the shockwave was very powerful. The entire Shin-Ra mansion trembled, windows shattered, and the fireball pushed up into the air and dissipated into nothingness several seconds later. The ensuing cloud of dirt that resulted from the blast did nothing to improve their eyesight even after the flames had disappeared. Their ears rang, temporarily deafened by the explosion.

Reno coughed, the dust around him clogging his lungs and making it hard to breathe. Reno squinted, trying to see past the blanket of dirt that had enveloped the Shin-Ra mansion courtyard. His vision was limited to about fifteen feet in front of him, past that, there was an impenetrable wall of brown dust. To his left, there was Elena and Tseng, both Turk's lying on their sides and staring into the brown abyss that was the dust. To his right Rufus and Rude, who was still holding the launcher, but down on the ground and looking as if he was in pain.

"Partner?" Reno yelled, unable to hear the volume of his own voice through the ringing in his ears.

Rude grunted and pushed himself up into a sitting position. "I'm fine!" Rude yelled back, and Reno was just barely able to hear him over the persistent ringing.

Reno nodded sternly and turned his attention elsewhere, at the swirling dust that blocked his view of what was left of Sephiroth – and then it came. Through the dust, Reno could see silver-hair glimmering in the sunlight, and metal shoulder guards doing likewise. Then finally, Mako-green eyes burned holes in the dust as Sephiroth walked toward the Turks without a scratch on his body. Not even a single bruise was visible after the explosion of the rocket, and Reno truly felt a rising fear in his chest.

Fumbling, Reno reached out for the PR-18 that he had dropped. When he grabbed it, Reno found it hard to steady his trembling hands. Even as he ejected the clip and reached for a fresh one, Sephiroth had inched closer. When Reno finally found the clip – which had fallen from his pocket and was lying at his left side – and lodged it inside the assault rifle, he found that as he raised the machine gun that it was too late. Sephiroth was literally on top of Rufus, standing directly in front of the young former Shin-Ra president who was down on the ground.

Scared, Rufus scrambled backwards on his rear end, but Sephiroth followed close, silver-hair flailing in the wind, deadly cold eyes trained on Rufus. The Turk's all scrambled to their feet, even Rude who had not completely recovered from having the wind knocked out of him, and had trained their weapons on Sephiroth.

"Don't fire!" Tseng warned, "Rufus is too close, we might hit him!"

Grudgingly, Reno eased his finger off of the PR-18's trigger, but still kept the crosshairs on the back of Sephiroth's head. Now, all Reno could do was watch as Rufus was cornered with his back against the courtyard wall, and the deadliest man to ever set foot on the planet just inches in front of him. The dust was settling by now, but everyone was far too enamored with what would become of Rufus Shin-Ra to pay attention to the dust.

Slowly, menacingly, Sephiroth stretched his right arm out, and opened his hand, palm facing away from him. A crackle of energy formed in the palm of his hand, and then the energy spread outwards at about the length of six feet, and suddenly the fabled Masamune was in his grip. The shining surface of the blade glimmered in the light as Sephiroth twisted the blade around, appearing to be in the process of putting it in a reverse grip – and then suddenly Rufus was jumping to his feet and sticking the barrel of his 12-gauge into Sephiroth's face after quickly sneaking the shotgun out of his coat.

Not a second later, the shotgun spoke, a large blast erupting at the end of the double-barrel only inches from Sephiroth's skull. The effect was instantaneous and dreadfully shocking to the Turk's and the Shin-Ra President. Sephiroth was completely unaffected, as if the bullets had completely missed him or had never even been fired. His expression had not faltered, and Reno noticed suddenly that Sephiorth looked strangely unaware of his surroundings. It was then that Sephiroth completed the process of putting his sword in a reverse grip, and from there he started forward and – went through President Shin-Ra, and then the courtyard wall.

"What the hell?" Was the unprompted question that the Turk's mumbled as Sephiroth's body passed through Rufus and the wall as if he was a mere ghost, which would explain why Sephiorth had received no damage during the Turks' assault. Puzzled nonetheless, the Turk's ran out of the mansion courtyard and into the streets of Nibelheim, where Sephiroth's form stood near the well. Spreading his arms out, still holding the Masamune, Sephiorth's form slowly lifted off of the ground gracefully, and then shot up into the air in the blink of an eye, out of sight in half a second.

"What the hell just happened?" Rufus demanded, both scared and angry for being belittled by Sephiroth.

"Sephiroth has returned." Was Tseng's answer as the Turk's stared up into the sky that Sephiroth had disappeared into.

* * *

It seemed as if a bomb had gone off in front of the Shin-Ra mansion. When AVALANCHE emerged from within the manor, they were greeted with a large crater that stretched out across the courtyard in an oval shape that suggested that the focal point of the blast was probably at one end, the weakest point at the other. One of the ends stopped right before the doorstep. Dirt had been dug up violently, charred by whatever explosion that had occurred. Any grass that had been on the property had been seared into ash. The smell of sulfur was heavy in the air, suggesting that it was a bomb. The front of the mansion was riddled with bullets, the old door having been torn through by the bullets, and every window in the front of the manor was broken out.

One quick glance at Rude confirmed that he had used the launcher, because that was the only thing around that could have caused this kind of damage besides a really strong Materia. As AVALANCHE moved through the courtyard, avoiding the oval-shaped crater carefully, as they approached the Turk's who were standing just outside the courtyard gates. Cloud led the group, and his mind was weighing heavily on two things. One: where was Sephiroth, and two: how and why was he back? A long time ago, Cloud learned to not let Sephiroth's trickery and mirages fool him, so everything that Sephiroth had told him was pushed to the back of his mind.

Getting out of the mansions basement was easy enough with materia, and those who were not properly equipped for the task could simply use the hinges that had held the stairs up as a means of assisting their climb out of the basement. Injuries were minimal, with several scratches and small bruises that could be easily fixed with the aid of a Cure materia. As for Sephiroth, Cloud hadn't spoken about seeing the sadistic man, besides to Tifa. After hearing the explosion, he didn't really have time to say anything, anyways.

When AVALANCHE walked through the rusted gates, Cloud immediately questioned the Turk's. "What happened?"

It was Tseng who turned to the blonde-haired Cloud and provided an answer. Before he spoke though, Tseng pulled Cloud to the side as to get some privacy from the other Turk's and AVALANCHE. "Sephiroth came out of the mansion just a few minutes ago. We opened fire on him, and Rude used the launcher."

"Well?" Cloud queried, silently hoping that Sephiroth had been disposed of, but Cloud knew better than that.

Tseng shook his head. "Nothing had an effect on him. It was like his – for lack of a better description – apparition. He just walked straight through Rufus and this wall here," Tseng explained, pointing in various directions and motioning with his hands to emphasize his words, "And then he walked out into the street and just disappeared." Behind him, Reno was still looking up into the sky while Elena and Rude were keeping aware of their immediate surroundings. Nibelheim didn't stir.

"Disappeared?"

Tseng nodded. "He…flew off."

"Which way?"

"Couldn't tell." Tseng replied surely. "He was too quick."

Cloud sighed and turned away from Tseng and faced the rest of AVALANCHE, who was standing patiently several feet away. They hadn't heard anything, but their faces suggested that they were begging for details. When Tseng asked if Cloud had any possible leads, Cloud could only shake his head. When he turned back to Tseng several seconds later, he was still as clueless as before. "For now, all we can do is look for openings in the Planet and seal them. We can't risk Jenova venturing out and killing people."

Tseng nodded approval. "Good enough." The Turk leader turned away and went to Rufus, and the two started speaking, but Cloud could not hear their words.

"Cloud…what happened?" Cloud looked to Tifa, who was now standing next to him with a look of worry on her face. "Was it Sephiroth?" She whispered.

Cloud shook his head. "He didn't cause all the damage. That was Rude's rocket launcher…but they _did _see Sephiroth." Cloud replied in an equally low voice.

"And…?"

Cloud shrugged. "Tseng said that he flew away. They didn't see which way he went, but they said that it wasn't actually Sephiroth. It was like his ghost or something…must be the same one that we ran into in the basement."

"Hey!" Barret bellowed, letting Cloud and Tifa know that AVALANCHE was still standing there. Cloud half-turned and saw that Barret was looking somewhat angry, and Cid looked no different. Yuffie also looked peeved, Red XIII, Vincent, and Reeve only looked interested. "Why not share the news with everyone, Spiky?" Barret asked cheekily.

Cloud sighed and walked past Tifa and toward AVALANCHE. He stopped in front of the group and spoke to them as a whole. "…Tseng said that Sephiroth was out here...he was also inside the mansion. I just never had the chance. But he wasn't even himself…It was like only a fraction of himself was there. He didn't mention anything helpful…we're off his trail now. The Turk's didn't see which way he went, so we'll just have to keep a close eye on everything." He received half-satisfied nods from everyone, but on the inside they were all dieing for more. But, in actuality, there wasn't much more than what Cloud had said. Cloud turned to Reeve and addressed him directly. "Any reports from the WRO yet on that marsh?" He remembered Sephiroth's words about the Midgar Marsh being sucked dry, and wondered if the emptying of the marsh would only release more monsters.

Reeve shook his head. "Not yet."

Cloud nodded and pondered the next move. Then he thought of Mideel, and decided that Reeve would have told him if there was news on that village. The only other possible exit points for the Lifestream were the Northern Crater, and possibly the Marsh near the Chocobo Ranch, like Sephiroth had hinted at. Since the Northern Crater was pretty much filled with Shin-Ra, and the Marsh was being drained by the WRO, Cloud could think of no other tasks that were before them. "We can start looking for leads on where Sephiroth is, but there's no telling…"

"Cloud," It was Rufus who approached the blonde-haired swordsman. "Have you considered all of the places where the Lifestream may get out?"

Cloud nodded. "Mideel, North Crater, and the Marsh…I don't know of any others."

Rufus laughed. "Yes, I thought hard for awhile too and did not come up with anything…and then it hit me."

"What?"

"All of the Mako Reactors throughout the world…they're all sitting overtop reserves of Lifestream. Cloud, they've never been dissembled, and Lifestream still sits beneath them." Rufus frowned a bit. "The reservoirs are still wide open."

Like a slap in the face, the cold realization hit him. How could Cloud have forgotten? "Can you can send some of your men to check the Reactors?"

Rufus nodded. "I can, but to a limit. Cloud, you're aware of how many reactors are spread throughout the world, aren't you?" Cloud nodded response.

"I can help, too." Reeve announced. "I'll send WRO wherever Rufus' men cannot reach."

Cloud nodded again.

_Ring. Ring._

Reeve reached into his coat and retrieved his cell phone. With one hand, he flipped it open and put it up to his ear. "Yes..." There was a long pause. "Really?...I see, good job, McArthur. See that that hole is filled up by any means necessary…Goodbye, McArthur." Reeve closed his phone and looked up at Cloud. "We finally have some information on your Marsh."

"There's a hole?"

Reeve nodded. "A slightly big one, at that. They'll fill it right away."

From the corner of his eye, Cloud saw Vincent approaching him. "Cloud…It would be wise to come up with a plan of action before it is too late. In several days, most of the Planet may very well be dead."

Cloud nodded agreement. "Then let's get on the roll. Reeve, Rufus, you two plan out your checking of the Reactors. The rest of us will go to the Marsh and make sure nothing goes wrong."

"We should check the Nibelheim Reactor while we are close." Vincent suggested. Cloud nodded once again. "I'll go with you."


	8. Chapter 8

**Final Fantasy VII**

**Rebirth**

A/N: Another late update by me, but I've been kinda busy. I realize that I said I'd update Wednesday of last week, but that never happened, and Friday I wasn't home the entire day after school. My internet is continuing to give me problems. I'm running on dial up, and a couple of months back during a storm some lightning hit our house and made our phone lines act weird. So sometimes, there is static in the phone line (at times, its so bad that having a phone conversation is impossible). In turn, the static in the phone line doesn't allow me to hook up to the internet sometimes. Saturday was, again, one of those days. I put the final touches on the chapter late Friday, and decided that I'd update Saturday since I was pretty tired from all the days activities. Saturday, though, turned out to be one of those days that the internet didn't work, and the phone sounded like an industrial vacuum. So, again, I apologize for a late update.

Also, this chapter is short. Oh! And I may start developing a relationship between a certain to characters...I'm not sure yet, but I think it's a good match. Look for me to tie up some loose ends in the coming chapters…Hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

**Chapter VIII**

Roger entered the break room and stretched, tired from the days work even though his shift wouldn't be over for another couple of hours. Three months ago, Roger enrolled into Shin-Ra, the electric company with overwhelming militaristic power-turned peaceful electrical company with virtually none pf the power it had once possessed. Roger wasn't sure where he would be posted, but anything was better than back home in Rocket Town. He was, frankly, sick of the place and the surroundings. When he was told that he'd be taken as security in one of Shin-Ra's headquarters, Roger was both excited, and curious of where he would end up. The North Crater wasn't a place that he had anticipated winding up in, but he didn't complain then, and was only complaining now because he was pretty damn tired.

Earl was also inside and had his legs propped up on a small table that was positioned in the middle of the room, with his chair tilted back on two legs, and his hands clasped behind his head in a relaxed state. When Roger entered, Earl greeted him with a nod. Earl was a dark-skinned man with short black hair and neat, thin, sideburns that traveled down the length of his jaw. Earl was also security, and had good build for the sort of job. As for Roger, who was somewhat shorter and less muscular, he was still good at what he had to do. His hair was brown and hung all about his head in an uncaring manner.

Roger grabbed a Shin-Ra-made styrofoam cup - otherwise known as Shin-Ra-Foam (stupid name, but he wasn't the one that chose it) – and filled it three-fourths of the way with coffee and then added a sizeable amount of sugar and cream. He stirred the liquid for several seconds before taking a seat at the table Earl was at so that he was facing the door. Slipping the strap of his PR-13 rifle -standard for Shin-Ra security and several notches below the SOLDIER PR-18 assault rifle – off of his shoulder and laid it down on the table.

"Any plans tonight?" Earl queried, eating the remains of a small pastry and licking his fingers afterwards.

Roger laughed wholeheartedly at the joke. With this job, the lacking of a place to call home came standard. A simple transportation system had been constructed to get workers up and down the crater efficiently. At the base of the crater was temporary shelter for the workers, nothing more than four-hundred square feet buildings that provided beds for the workers and small and simple restrooms that consisted of stalls and sinks. One building, about double the size of those buildings was a mess hall that allowed workers in at different times only, dividing the entire Northern Crater Staff into four separate period so as to not overfill the Mess Hall. The last building, about four-hundred square feet also, was for showering, and was also divided into four separate periods – men and women had their own separate shifts.

"Nope, not really." Roger replied. "Just going to sleep and then wake up in the morning and do it all over again."

Earl nodded understandingly. "Yeah, but at least we're getting paid good."

Roger nodded agreement and sipped his coffee. No one could complain about the weekly salary that was upwards of six hundred Gil a week, but it was also a dangerous job since Shin-Ra had enemies, and the North Crater was known to be quite unstable, hence the high salary for those brave enough to work for the company.

Just as Roger finished his coffee, the door opened and Riona stepped inside. Her auburn hair parted on one side, lips painted pink, eyelashes thick and dark and her eyebrows plucked in such a way that it made her eyes look sharp and brilliant; Riona was the definition of a woman. Her ears were pierced with small diamond studs, and she was dressed in a black skirt, black high heels, a white dress shirt and a black form-hugging dress jacket. Riona, as her attire would suggest, was a secretary that worked near the entrance of the Northern Crater. From what Roger had heard, the crater used to be nothing but a rough hole in the Planet, but when Shin-Ra moved in, they constructed neat paths, steps, and rooms for their workers. Deeper down into the crater, so deep that elevators had to be installed in order to save time, was Shin-Ra's projects. None but the workers and scientists themselves were allowed to know about what went on down there.

Riona looked at Roger and Earl very quickly, and smiled slightly at them both. As she walked over to the table with the coffee, Earl couldn't seem to take his eyes off of her form. Roger couldn't blame him, but found it pretty rude – one of the reasons why Riona didn't like either one of them. When she turned around, her eyes met Earl's as his traveled slowly back up to her face. She made a face of disgust and started out of the room.

"Hey, Riona!" Earl hollered before she could leave. "Sit down for a minute!"

Riona turned around and cocked an eyebrow and swung one hip out to the side and held her hand on it sternly. "You're disgusting."

Roger frowned and then stood up, deciding to show some manners. "Hey, how about we do something sometime?"

Riona laughed. "What is there to do around here?" She replied cheekily and then left.

Earl laughed. "Really smooth…"

Before Roger could reply, Riona was bursting back into the room and yelling about gunshots. Both Earl and Roger stood up and grabbed their rifles. Outside, they both heard the gunshots clearly and started down the steps toward the sound. The steps winded down the crater. The bottom of the winding stairs, Roger and Earl both saw it at the same time. From deeper down into the crater, there were other security guards firing their rifles at some unknown thing that the two men could not see. Then, from deep within the tunnels below, a horrible growl echoed off of the walls of the caverns.

Roger and Earl raced down the ladders and paths and toward the other men with guns. When they approached the men, they realized the they were firing blindly into a tunnel which had no lights. "What the hell are you shooting at?" Roger shouted over the machine gun fire.

"Monsters! They came from inside!" One of the men shouted in reply as he reloaded his PR-13.

"Monsters?" Roger repeated in a whisper before raising his rifle and taking aim at the darkness. Earl stood next to Roger, also aiming into the darkness, but neither men fired as the others unloaded their guns into the blackness. Another horrible growl came from deep within the shadows, and someone inside screamed, but was interrupted, cut off abruptly by something. Then suddenly from the darkness, a four-legged creature emerged in a pounce. It's large, muscular form, soared out of the blackness and pinned one of the other security guards down on the ground. With snarling teeth, the creature tore the mans neck apart in a fraction of a second.

Roger, Earl, and the other two guards fired frantically at the creature. It screamed and leapt upon another guard, raising one of its clawed arms and slashing the face of the guard the next second. One of the claws bit deep into the mans temple, and ripped the side of the guards skull open with a nerve-racking_ crack_. Before Earl could pull the trigger on his PR-13, a second creature emerged from the darkness and made quick work of Earl with its powerful claws. Roger turned and fired at the new creature as the last remaining guard fired at the other. Their bullets made holes, but had very little effect, and before the second creature had even turned its attention to Roger, a third, fourth, and fifth creature emerged. Within seconds, Roger was on the ground, pinned down by two massive arms.

Flailing, Rogers attempts were in vain as the monster was many times more powerful than he. To his right, the contents of Earl's lower body had been spilled out onto the ground, and his face was frozen in shock as his body twitched. Roger could have cried out of fear, anger, and sorrow. To his left, Roger saw another guard who was still screaming, a creature atop his back and burying its claws deep into him, pulling out stringy muscle, accompanied by a surplus of blood. There were other monsters too, maybe ten in the room now.

When Roger looked up, he saw the horribly deformed face of the monster that had him pinned to the ground. The creature's eyes were white, lifeless; its mouth was a lipless hole with sharp teeth and exposed red gums that were stained with blood. Its nose was two holes, and it had no visible ears. The monster reared back and then growled loudly, thick, warm, saliva spraying out onto Roger's face. The last thing he saw was this monster's teeth, as it came down upon Roger's face.

* * *

Red XIII plodded into the cockpit, just as the _Shera _started up into the sky. The craft was gentle as it rose up from the ground on gasoline-powered thrusters at a steady pace. When it was at the right altitude, the ship started forward at a slow pace that gradually became faster until the ship was zipping across the sky. Thanks to Cid's superior piloting skills, no one even felt the gradual thrust of the _Shera_. Cloud and Vincent had departed for the Mount Nibel Reactor just before the rest of the group boarded the _Shera_. 

Red XIII walked over to the front of the ship, by the large glass window that encased the entire front end of the ship's cockpit that extended off of the actual ship itself. Barret and Tifa were standing there, talking about something that Red XIII refused to listen in on. He took a seat several feet away from the two in order to give them privacy and so as to not interrupt their conversation. Below, Gaia passed by quickly, all of the land blurring together into a green and brown mass that had no definite shape. Soon, the _Shera _would be passing over the ocean as the ship made its way to the Midgar Marsh. The plan was to check things out there, and then just go "go with the flow" as Cid had put it, suggesting to just wait for news, and act on it as it came.

Rufus and Reeve were busy planning investigations on the Mako Reactor's throughout Gaia, and gods only knew what everyone else was doing to pass the time. Sometimes these transoceanic flights could be quite boring, especially when there was nothing to look forward to or think about. With no definite plan, Red XIII had no way of pondering all of the outcomes of their next move. With the WRO and Shin-Ra covering pretty much every problem that the Planet faced, it left nothing for AVALANCHE to do. There was always Sephiroth, though, as a main concern, but there were no leads on where he was and there definitely weren't any clues on hisnext move.

Red XIII wondered about what Cloud had said, about Sephiroth being a 'ghost'. Red XIII knew well that many claimed to have seen ghosts, souls whose physical bodies were trapped in the Lifestream. Was that what Sephiroth had been reduced to? And if so, was he planning on recreating himself, or would he just drain the planet of its life by not even acting physically? Sephiroth had mentioned destroying the Planet, and everyone here knew he was fully capable of, and wasn't a bit frightened by, that idea. Right now, it seemed that the Jenova cells were doing most of the work for him, and the Lifestream was unknowingly aiding in the destruction of the Planet.

Red XIII sighed and settled onto his belly. The floor of the _Shera _was cool, and felt good against his underside. Red XIII closed his eyes and tried to drift into sleep. That was when he thought of it. "Cid," Red XIII said in a loud voice so as to get the old pilots attention, "Do you think we can turn around?"

Cid looked down at Red XIII and raised an eyebrow in question. "Why's that?"

"I think I can get a lead on Sephiroth." Red XIII replied.

Cid sighed. "You're sure?"

"There is a good chance."

Cid nodded. "Alright then. Where to?"

"Cosmo Canyon."

* * *

Rufus closed his cell after making the right calls and sat the black phone down on the low table that was placed in the middle of the Lounge of the _Shera_. To his right, was Reno and Rude, to his left was Elena and Tseng, and Reeve stood by the entrance, still on his cell and making the proper arrangements for the investigations of the Mako Reactors. To be truthful, Rufus was still slightly shook from having Sephiroth right in his face with his monstrous sword. Breaking Rufus' morbid thoughts of being killed by Sephiroth, Reno , and Rufus looked at the red-headed Turk, who was now sitting forward on his comfortable white couch – three of which were inside the room. 

"What is it Reno?"

"You know, Boss, you don't _have _to help Cloud and his buddies. As far as I'm concerned, Sephiroth – and as a result –, Jenova is their problem." Reno said nonchalantly, frowning slightly.

Rufus grinned a bit and relaxed in his seat. "As far as I see it, Reno, Sephiroth and Jenova are just as much a problem of ours as it is of Cloud's and his comrades. Just because Sephiroth is Cloud's enemy, doesn't mean that he is any less threatening to our lives and everyone else's. So, in part, if helping defeat Sephiroth and Jenova means me living longer…well, you know what I mean."

Reno shrugged and sat back in his seat again. "Yeah, but if fighting Sephiroth means there's a chance that I live a shorter life…well," Reno mocked, "you know what I mean."

Rufus laughed. "You're really stubborn. You know that, right, Reno?"

"Reno's flaws come standard." Elena commented.

"No one's perfect." Reno replied, defending himself.

"Well," Reeve started, successfully gaining the attention of everyone in the room as he put away his cell phone. "The WRO are on their way to the Reactors. What about you, Rufus?"

"Likewise."

Reeve's cell rang just then, and the black-haired WRO leader flipped it open. "Reeve Tuesti speaking."

"_Sir, I am calling to inform you of the damage in Mideel." _A voice on the other end announced.

"Go on."

"_The entire forest is dead – decayed, if you will. We found the source to be a purple-colored gas that is being emitted via – get this – the _Lifestream_, sir. I can actually _see _the Lifestream." _

Reeve sighed. "As I suspected. Can you tell what it is?"

"_Do you remember when you asked about some sort of measuring tool for the Jenova life form? Well, we actually _did _find something useful. It was used during the first discovery of Jenova – and _still _works, believe it or not. The device measures the air content, and detects any irregular matter, specifically Jenova. It had been used for finding additional Jenova specimens, but was left untouched for years after that. Good news is that the thing still works and it detected a high amount of Jenova cells in the air. _

"_Think of it as an airborne bacterium, mister Tuesti. I don't understand the readings myself, but a scientist that we brought along said that the Jenova cells outnumber the percentage of some gas or another in the air, and makes for a deadly mixture. Guy even had us evacuated from the thickest part of the 'danger zone' and is ordering some hazmat suits in. But judging by what the forest looks like, though, I can't blame him." _

"Are there any casualties?"

"_Well, since it was too dangerous to get to the actual village, we're not certain, but the scientist is pretty sure that whoever's in there probably died hours ago without treatment. He took a sample of one of the dead plants, and is waiting for the results right now." _

"Okay, then. Keep me updated."

"_Will do, sir." _

The line went dead and Reeve closed his cell phone. Of course, the Turks wanted an explanation and brief overview of what had happened, and Reeve did so. They were quiet for a moment, before Rufus spoke up, asking if the effects on other open Lifestream reservoirs would be the same as in Mideel. Reeve shrugged unsurely. "I can't give you a straight answer, Rufus, but if the Jenova cells keep escaping as they are now, there's a good possibility of the same caliber destruction affecting the surrounding areas."

"Do you think that this is just coincidence, or acting as part of Sephiroth's plan?"

Reeve shook his head. "I would tell you what I am hoping for, but then I may just be giving you all false hope."

"You mean you think Sephiroth really _is _behind all of this?" Reno blurted, although the question really was quite irrelevant.

Reeve nodded. "I believe that what was once our theory is now a reality…"

A crackle of static announced that the PA system was being used. The small speaker was located above the Lounge door. Before long, Cid's voice was playing through it. _"Just thought I'd let you all know that we changed course. We're headin' to Cosmo Canyon for a little while, so just sit tight for a few more hours." _

Rufus sighed and flipped open his cell to find the time. It was almost seven o' clock. "It's going to be a long next couple of days…"

* * *

Cloud stood atop the stairs at the very top of the makeshift system of ladders, stairs, and plywood that made up a pathway that zigzagged in between thick metal pipes that had once been used for mining Mako. He was inside of Mount Nibel, a dark, damp, place that had once been the site for heavy mining of Mako. What had once been a beautiful cavern was twisted into a clump of rusted pipes and decayed wooden walkways. At the very bottom, several holes in the ground emitted green-blue aura's that was a sure sign of Lifestream – or, more commonly known as Mako. 

Vincent had decided to double check the Nibelheim Reactor that sat at the other end of this cave. They had both checked it, but Vincent had felt that something was amiss, and so he went back. Meanwhile, Cloud decided to stay behind, and so there he was. The cave was cold, but Cloud had other things to worry about. He dialed Reeve's number and waited patiently for the WRO leader to pick up.

"_Hello, Cloud. How did it go?" _

"There aren't any monsters here." Cloud replied while walking over to the very edge of a ridge and looking down over it at the Mako pits that lay some hundreds of feet below. "But there's a couple of exposed Mako spots…Do you think you can get someone here to fill them?"

"_It shouldn't be a problem…But the teams will be thin since I sent most out to the other Mako Reactors. If you need a ride, I'm sure that Cid can make a stop at Nibelheim again. We're circling back around and heading to Cosmo Canyon." _

_Cosmo Canyon? _Cloud thought, but then decided that Red XIII must have business there. "I guess so."

"_Then I'll inform him…It may be a bit of a wait, though, maybe an hour." _

"Okay." Cloud closed his phone and put it back into his pocket. The spiky-haired ex-SOLDIER found a wall to lean against, and so he did in order to feel a bit of relaxation. While standing there, back leaning heavily against the cave wall, Cloud attempted to keep his mind clear but continued to think about where Sephiroth may be hiding. Closing his eyes, Cloud took a long breath and blew it out slowly. He was starting to get a headache from all of the current events. Cloud slid down into a sitting position, eyes still closed, and attempted to block out any thoughts that threatened to remind him of everything that was wrong with the Planet.

* * *

"Cloud," 

Cloud's eyes fluttered under closed eyelids before he opened them fully. Vincent watched as Cloud stared at nothing in particular as he tried to focus his eyes. "How long was I asleep?"

Vincent shook his head. "I just returned from the Reactor…I was gone for twenty minutes, at least." Several moments of silence passed between them before Cloud climbed to his feet and looked aimlessly at the other side of the cave. Without spoken consent, both men decided to walk out of the cave. It wasn't that they didn't like each other; in fact, they both had a considerable amount of respect for the other. Thing was, that in fact, out of AVALANCHE, Vincent was admittedly the quietest person, and Cloud was a close second. So when the two of them were alone for whatever reason, the minutes that passed were usually very quiet and uneventful. It was just Vincent being Vincent, and Cloud being Cloud – nothing more.

Outside of the cave, Vincent turned to Cloud and asked about Reeve.

"I called him…Cid's going to turn around and pick us up. Plans have changed, I guess, and we're heading to Cosmo Canyon."

No other words were spoken between them on their way down the mountain.

* * *

As Reno exited the lounge, he stretched and the kinks in his body popped in the process. The last couple of days felt like weeks, and Reno was damn tired. Who could blame him when last night he only got about four hours of sleep? Truthfully, by now one would think that Reno would be used to staying up twenty hours out of the day. Being a Turk was a job that called for late hours, and sometimes required one to operate for two days on barely a full nights sleep. So when vacation rolled around, Reno was a _damn _happy man. But since he was now spending his vacation tracking down some lunatic, Reno couldn't say that he was too happy about it. 

The thought of 'that lunatic' only brought bad memories.

Shoving his hands in his pants pockets, Reno started toward the cockpit. From the corner of his eye, Reno caught a glimpse of something to his left. Down in the empty cargo area of the _Shera_, Reno spotted Cloud's ninja-girl buddy, Yuffie Kisaragi. Any other time, Reno would have continued walking…but apparently it was young Kisaragi's stretching time. It wasn't that Reno was perverted, but it was just that it was a 'spur of the moment' type of thing. Besides, he was only doing the same thing that any other man would have…and that was to watch as Yuffie touched her right foot with her fingertips, and then alternated over to her left foot.

Straightening, Yuffie took a breath and pulled up her left leg and balanced on the other, flamingo-style. Several seconds passed, and then she switched to her other foot. Reno cocked an eyebrow and watched as Yuffie put both feet firmly on the ground and started to move her arms about in the air in graceful motions. Reno thought it to be some kind of Wutai thing. Hands in his pockets, Reno started down the steps and took a seat at the second to last step. Yuffie was completely unaware of his presence.

"I didn't think you were into that kind of stuff," Reno said, announcing his presence behind her. Yuffie was startled to say the least, as she spun around quickly with wide eyes, but she was able to recollect herself eventually. Reno watched the young Wutainese girl, and quietly noted that she was sort of cute, something he'd never noticed before.

Yuffie dragged the back of her hand across her forehead, wiping away perspiration that had beaded on her forehead. "Well, I'm not, really…but I do it from time to time."

Reno nodded. "Worked up quite a sweat doing that, huh?"

Yuffie nodded and walked over to take a seat on the step below him and to his left. Yuffie stretched backwards, groaning as she did so. "It's harder than it looks," Yuffie answered when she was done stretching. "I also did some sit ups and pushups before the traditional Wutainese stretches…"

Reno raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you supposed to stretch before doing those?"

Yuffie shrugged. "I dunno, I guess so." Yuffie's face looked blank, maybe somewhat clueless. "So how far out are we?"

Reno shook his head. "Cid just turned the ship around, so I'm not really sure…maybe just a little inland." Reno looked at the girl again, and decided that her workout, or stretches, or whatever the hell they were, must have been quite rigorous since she was literally covered in sweat. Beads of perspiration ran down the back of her neck, coming from jet-black hair that was also wet. Her arms and legs gleamed with moisture, and Reno wondered just how much was she willing to sacrifice to stay in shape. Personally, Reno was lucky to do ten pushups in a year. He didn't have a thorough workout schedule like, for example, Rude who did a ludicrous amount of bench presses, sit ups, pushups, and chin ups on a daily basis.

Suddenly, the Wutainese princess looked up at Reno and cocked her head to the side. "Well, I'm going to go shower, so I'll catch you later, hmm?"

Reno raised his eyebrow once more. "Shower? Uh, honey, I don't know if you know this or not, but there ain't no showers on this ship." Even as he was speaking, Reno noticed a look on Yuffie's features that told him that she – or maybe even he – must have said something wrong.

"Oh crap…" Yuffie murmured, getting up quickly with her face still reading the same words as she had just mumbled. "Ohh! Cid's gonna' be mad!"

Reno's already raised eyebrow arched even further. "What the hell are you talkin' about?"

Yuffie sighed. "Well, I'll tell you, but promise not to tell anyone else. Okay?" Reno shrugged, and Yuffie took a breath. "Cid didn't want to tell you guys, but the elevator button that he said goes to the engine room really doesn't go to the engine room – it goes to our own personal rooms."

Reno was taken aback by this. "Damn, I knew this ship looked smaller from the inside…"

"Cid just didn't tell you guys because he didn't have enough rooms to accommodate all of you, plus me and everyone else that would normally be onboard the _Shera_."

Reno nodded understandingly. "Ah…Well, hey, no harm done."

"But, hey, Reno, _please _don't tell anybody!" The young ninja girl pleaded, and Reno smirked, seeing his opportunity.

"Do me one favor and maybe I won't." Reno said with an impish grin.

"What?" Yuffie asked, "And nothing stupid, neither! Cid made me yell 'I stink' in Edge once…"

Reno raised his eyebrows and snickered. "Nah. Nothing stupid like that old man – just a favor when I need one, that's all."

Yuffie nodded. "Deal."

"Shake on it." Reno insisted, remembering from somewhere that a handshake in Wutai was like signing a contract. Or maybe it wasn't…he didn't know for sure, but Yuffie shook his hand anyways. Then he thought about how tired he was, how much his back, legs, and arms ached. "Take me to the room with you." Reno stated after their handshake, feeling that some relaxation would do him good. "Let me rest up a bit."

"That's the favor?"

Reno shook his head. "Not hardly, but think of it as a…well…'down payment' of sorts." Reno replied, wording it as best he could at the moment.

Yuffie sighed. "Okay, but let's hurry, because if Cid finds out, he might make me do something stupid again."

Reno nodded agreement and stood up and followed as Yuffie started up the steps.

* * *

Yuffie led Reno into her room, and a blast of cool air hit him immediately. The room itself was big enough to hold a sizeable couch – which Yuffie explained to be a futon – a mounted sixteen-inch television, and a small dresser. Next to the door that they came in through was a thermostat, and on the opposite end of the room was another door. 

"That old pilot really went all out for you guys, huh?" Reno asked as he flopped down on Yuffie's futon. The room was refreshingly cool, and Reno felt like he could doze off at any minute.

Yuffie shrugged. "I guess it's the least that he could do…Um, the remotes right next to you, and I'm going to go shower really quick."

Reno nodded and grabbed the remote. When he turned the television on, he quickly found out that they had cable – the works. "Ain't that sumthin'…" Reno mumbled with a smirk. Yuffie disappeared behind the other door that must have led to the bathroom. Pulling his legs up on the futon sofa in a laying position, Reno flipped through the channels until he found something about a Midgar Zolom found on Western Continent. Not that he particularly cared about where they lived, but those large creatures had always interested him. Given today's events, Reno was just happy to be laying on something soft and being able to rest his aching body.

The minutes passed, and Reno found that by the time Yuffie came out of her shower, he had watched more commercials than actual programming – just like any other type of T.V. programs. The young Wutainese girl ran her hands through her damp hair, ruffling the jet black locks into something that didn't resemble her straight-haired look at all. She still wore a pair of brown short shorts and a black tank top, but with no jacket. Her skin was still wet, arms and legs gleaming in the light as they had earlier. Drawing in his legs, Reno let Yuffie sit down next to him as someone on the television explained the Migar Zolom on the Western Continent was 'indeed a breed of it's own, and not related directly to the Midgar Zolom.'

"Didn't know you were into that kind of stuff," Yuffie said, reminiscent of when Reno had questioned her stretching routines.

Reno laughed. "Eh – I like the Zolom's for some reason."

Yuffie raised an eyebrow and laughed it off. "So, is this better than the lounge or what?"

Reno nodded amusedly. "At least you have TV in here."

"So…what's the favor?" Yuffie asked, and after indulging in the TV programs for so long, Reno had almost forgotten about their earlier deal.

"Oh – oh, yeah, the favor. Well, I don't know…maybe today, maybe tomorrow, or maybe a year from now, I'll find something for you to do for me…"

Yuffie frowned. "I don't like surprises."

Reno smirked as he started to flip through the channels again. "And I don't like tattling on ninja girls who accidentally spilled the beans."

Yuffie grinned. "Touché." Yuffie pulled her legs up onto the futon and looked sharply at Reno. "Fair enough, but I'm not a girl – I'm a grown woman, Princess Kisaragi of Wutai." She stated in a matter-of-fact way.

Reno shook his head, "Right, right, a princess, I _got_ it."

"You know, pretty soon everyone's going to be looking for you."

Reno stopped flipping through the channels and sighed. "Yeah I know," he drawled, and put the remote down. "So I'll see you around, ninja girl."

"That's Princess Kisaragi, to you!" She corrected almost immediately, narrowing her eyes at him.

Reno shrugged. "Fine, fine…"

Yuffie laughed as Reno exited the room, "Bye-bye, Reno." She said, closing the door behind the red-headed Turk.

* * *

A/N: Yup, end of the chapter. I know that nothing ever happened with the guys in the North Crater, but don't worry. Look for something to unfold within the next chapter. Hope you enjoyed it and look forward to the next chapter. PEACE! 


	9. Chapter 9

**Final Fantasy VII**

**Rebirth**

A/N: I hope that the readers of this fic can find it in them to forgive me for such a late update. My computer has been acting up lately, not allowing me to connect to the internet at all in some cases, and in others the internet works but with limited functions. (For example, I couldn't upload files from my computer onto my account here at Now, though, I have a laptop with internet connection, so I'll be able to update once again.

In this chapter, I realized and started thinking about how I described the Shin-Ra and WRO relation (not very good) and I figured that in this chapter, I'd clear some of that up and try to explain it a little better. So, read on, and see how I've decided to describe that.

Something weird, but the document editor wouldn't let me insert line breaks for some reason. Three dashes between paragraphs will take the line breaks place.

Also, this is a SHORT chapter. Sorry!

Enough babbling! Chapter 9!

* * *

**Chapter IX**

Cid was able to lower the _Shera _down into the mountainous terrain of Cosmo Canyon. (Cosmo Canyon was the entire surrounding area – not_ just_ the small hometown of Red XIII) As was the case any other time, Cosmo Canyon was stifling, even at nearly midnight. The temperature was no less than eighty-five, and there wasn't a single gust of wind to be found, or a drop of moisture. In the actual town, however, it seemed to be cooler on the slightly more elevated settlement of Cosmo Canyon, which rested on the side of a plateau.

Inside the room that Cloud had been assigned, the temperature was drastically cooler, as the Inn itself – Called the 'Gaia Inn' – was located inside an enclave of the plateau. The ceiling fan that spun above the single bed helped to make the room even more comfortable. Tifa had fallen asleep on that bed, her back propped up against the headboard, her head tilted to the side in sleep. Her boots rested next to the bed. A soft grin forced its way upon Cloud's face as he watched Tifa sleep, the pale light of the small television set glaring on her. His grin transformed into a frown as Cloud thought about the current state of the Planet. He'd already saved it once, would he have to do it again?

With these thoughts in his head, Cloud walked into the adjacent bathroom and closed the door. Cosmo Canyon was old fashioned. There was no shower, and the floors were even made of dirt. The walls were rock, a room carved out of mountain. The sink was small, somewhat industrial looking, and even the wiring for the light bulbs was visible hanging from the ceiling. Cloud went to the sink and leaned heavily on it. He stared in the mirror that hung above the sink, his visage staring back at him through blue eyes. Cloud squeezed his eyes shut, and in that moment he saw Sephiroth's face, and the man's insane words flooded Cloud's brain.

When Cloud opened his eyes, the images were gone, and the voices muted. Cloud turned on the sink faucet and filled his palms up with water before splashing his face. Suddenly, he wasn't feeling so good; suddenly things were weighing heavily on him. Wiping the moisture from his face with a towel, Cloud wondered how many times he would have to fight Sephiroth before the maniac would finally accept death. How many times would Sephiroth rise from the dead, defying the natural flow of life? Or, more importantly, how long before Sephiroth finally destroyed Gaia? What if Sephiroth returned long after AVALANCHE was gone, and the Planet no longer had anyone to protect them, anyone brave enough to stand up to Sephiroth?

"Cloud…"

Cloud blinked, not realizing how long he had been standing in front of the sink.

"The others want to know if you are hungry. They're waiting downstairs." Tifa's voice was somewhat groggy.

Cloud put the towel back on its rack and drew in a slow breath and exhaled evenly. Feeling as if he had regained his composure, Cloud opened the door to find Tifa standing just outside. Her eyes were tired-looking. Cloud nodded his answer, and started to exit the bathroom, but Tifa did not move from the doorway. Confused, Cloud tried to squeeze past, but Tifa side-stepped, successfully cutting off Cloud's path.

"Tifa…?"

"What's wrong, Cloud?" Tifa asked, worry in her voice. Of everyone in AVALANCHE, Tifa knew Cloud's troubles the best, and she certainly knew when something was bothering him.

Cloud stared down at the floor for a moment. He knew that Tifa didn't like when he thought negatively, so Cloud didn't say what was on his mind, instead he shook his head and lied. "I'm tired."

Tifa nodded understandingly. "Do you want to just sleep instead of going to eat with the others?"

Cloud shook his head again. "I should eat." He responded, not actually hearing his own words as he played out an entire alternate conversation between the two of them in his head, one in which Cloud spilled out all of his troubles, regrets, and fears. One which Cloud and Tifa would never have – or, more precisely, one in which Cloud would never have with anyone.

* * *

Darkness enveloped the entire room, and Red XIII sat silently in the middle of it all. Ears wide open, but eyes shut, Red XIII waited for the planet to speak to him. Bugenhagen had always taught Red XIII that the Planet would only talk when it felt it necessary. On many occasions, Red XIII had come to Bugenhagen's laboratory, only to sit in complete and utter silence and never hear anything from the Planet. But if the Planet did not speak, then that only meant that the Planet was at ease with itself, and nothing bad was to come. 

The Planet groaned.

Red XIII's ears perked and he opened his eyes, revealing Bugenhagen's mechanism before and all around him. _Uhn, Gaia, lin ki hiolo? _Red XIII spoke to the Planet through his mind, using the words of the Ancient's to communicate his question on what was bothering the Planet.

Minutes passed in silence, and Red XIII closed his eyes again, straining to hear the Planet's voice. Suddenly there was a whirring sound, and Red XIII opened his eyes as Bugenhagen's machine began to move about. The contraption that Red XIII's grandfather had pieced together was not your ordinary machine – it was powered, and _made _of magic. As the room dimmed, the walls depicting the endless abyss that was outer space, the Planet's all disappeared, and before Red XIII sat Gaia.

Tilting his head to the side, beads that hung from his mane rattling, Red XIII studied the image of Gaia floating in space for several seconds before the Planet groaned once more. _Uhn, Gaia, lin ki hiolo? _Red XIII repeated in his head, and the Planet groaned yet again. Suddenly, the room was morphing again, the image of Gaia disappearing, and before long, the room was enveloped by the surface of Gaia. Red XIII stood up, startled, as the Planet showed Red XIII the Northern Crater as if Red XIII were standing inside of the _Shera _and overlooking the gaping hole in the Planet's surface.

"_Lin ki wukai gupa quer Nurtern Kreter, Gaia?" _Red XIII spoke the Ancient language, questioning the trouble at Edge. The Planet groaned response and then Red XIII saw what the Planet saw – "Oh, Gaia."

* * *

Below the Shildra Inn (Shildra was an Ancient word that meant Planet) was a somewhat nice tavern called the 'Starlet' that also sold food. The two tables that sat near the entrance to the tavern were both packed with four people each. Reno, Rude, Cid, and Barret sat around the bar, while everyone else crammed themselves into the park-bench-style tables. Cloud and Tifa seated themselves across from Yuffie and Vincent, while the other table had Rufus, Tseng, Reeve, and Elena seated at it. They all had food before them and a drink, Reno, Rude, Cid, and Barret each sipping Cosmo Canyon's famous 'Lifestream' cocktail. 

It was one of the quietest dinners that AVALANCHE had ever had together. Usually, Barret and Cid would be arguing about something. Cloud and Vincent would sometimes have conversation, while Yuffie and Tifa would usually talk about whatever they could think about. If Denzel and Marlene were at the dinner, the two would usually giggle and laugh and pick on one another until the adults would have to tell them to hush. With Reno being there, the dinner should have been even livelier than usually with the red-head displaying his usual sense of humor and sometimes-aggravating antics.

But that was not the case this time around. The events from earlier had put everyone in a solemn mood, and talking and joking seemed unnatural given the state of things. Even Reno, who was prone to make even the worse-case scenarios into a joke, was quiet as he sensed the vibes from everyone else. It seemed that everyone had experienced the death of someone, or so their silence implied, but in fact some were more worried about Sephiroth's reappearance than others, and sitting down to eat even felt odd. But given the circumstances, and having no leads on where Sephiroth was, they had no need to be out and about. Besides, soon enough, Red XIII would have information for them.

Cloud stared at the noodles before him, and poked at them with his fork, not able to quit thinking about the bad outcomes that could result from all of this. He wished that he could do something about Sephiroth, about the Jenova cells escaping the Lifestream. He knew that the WRO was taking care of it, that Rufus' men were also doing what they could –

Rufus' cell phone was ringing, breaking the unsettling silence in the room. All eyes went to the young president, who reached down to the phone and flipped it open. "Rufus." He said, informing the caller of whom they had reached. Suddenly, Rufus was pulling the phone from his ear, and even from where Cloud was seated, he could hear screaming through Rufus' cell phone. "Calm down," Rufus hissed, "What the hell's the matter?" Several seconds of silence passed, and then Rufus' jaw dropped, metaphorically, to the floor. Regaining his composure, Rufus asked, "Are you sure?" Silence. "Hello? _Hello_?" Rufus closed the cell phone and his face twisted into anger. Furious, the former Shin-Ra president slammed the phone down onto the table he was seated at. Several glasses tipped over, their contents emptying out onto the floor. Elena was quick to clean up the mess that ensued.

"Rufus, what happened?" Reeve asked, sounding worried.

Rufus hesitated for a moment, his eyes still narrowed, and his jaw tight. Through clenched teeth, Rufus hissed, "The Northern Crater's been attacked."

Tseng's eyes went wide. "_What_?" Rufus had succeeded in bringing shocked faces to everyone at once, not just Tseng.

Rufus growled in frustration. "The fucking Northern Crater was attacked." He repeated, angry to say the least. Elena winced at Rufus' yelling. Everyone realized that Rufus' anger sprouted from the possibility that his North Crater facility had been destroyed, and along with it, the millions of dollars he had invested were for nothing. "I don't know what's going on," Rufus started, sounding slightly calmer. "He wasn't able to tell me who attacked it."

"Terrorists?" Reeve asked, obtaining a glower from Barret, but not much more.

Rufus shrugged. "Who knows..." Suddenly, Rufus' anger was back as he pounded the table with his fist and cursed loudly.

"Boss –"

Reno was cut off as Red XIII entered the tavern, looking distressed. "Cloud," Red XIII gasped.

Cloud had been looking down at his plate blankly, sorting through the possibilities of what may have happened at the North Crater when Red XIII entered the tavern. At the mention of his name, Cloud looked up, meeting Red XIII's frantic eyes evenly. He tilted his head slightly, as if to ask 'what?'.

"_Jenova _is attacking the Northern Crater!"

* * *

It was hard enough getting people to come back to the Northern Cave after Kadaj's gang invaded the crater and killed every single employee that worked there in order to find 'mother's head'. Rufus grimaced as the group walked down into the Crater, remembering the carnage that had been here just several days ago. Reeve and Red XIII had stayed behind at Cosmo Canyon, each having their own motivation for doing so. Red XIII wanted to stay in case there were new developments, Reeve wanted to be able to give orders to his men if necessary. His cell phone wouldn't do much good if a Jenova symbiote decided to kill Reeve. 

After Sephiroth was defeated two years ago, the Crater had collapsed into itself, leaving only a large hole at top with rock and debris at the bottom. No longer was there a path leading all the way down to the bottom as there had once been. Following the defeat of Sephiroth, Rufus sent in workers who would industrialize the large crater. The first thing added was a large Helipad for incoming and departing helicopters and airships alike. It was large enough for four airships the size of the old _Highwind _to land on it and still have some space left over. The helipad itself was but a small dent in Rufus' bank account. Branching off from the helipad – which was held up by tons of metal supports – was a catwalk that led over into a natural tunnel in the side of the cavern, which Rufus had reinforced with more metal poles and the like. There was also a set of sturdy stairs that led to the very edge of the crater, where workers could take a trolley to and fro the base of the crater, where the shelter for the workers was located. The shelter provided a home for the workers since the Northern Crater was fairly isolated. Icicle Inn was the closest town, which was still quite a walk and at least a three hour plus drive from the crater.

The natural tunnel, however, led deeper into the Northern Crater, and eventually into a large dug-out area that served as the main concourse for the entire facility. This is where the group stood now. There were two concrete rooms constructed right on the walls of the cave. One room had a label that read 'Break Room' and the other read 'Office'. Both concrete-walled rooms had been breached; their doors had been ripped off of the hinges. From here, Rufus could see into the Break Room, and saw an auburn-haired woman lying in her own pool of blood. It seemed that she had been torn open, her own entrails lying about her corpse.

Rufus cringed as Vincent's cold voice asked what could have happened. Rufus only shook his head, feeling overwhelmed for just a moment.

"Cid," Cloud started, already adopting the role of the leader, "See if you can find anything useful in that office. Barret, stay with him, the rest of us will go deeper into the –"

"Cloud, I don't know if that's a good idea." Rufus interrupted, sounding nervous. Cloud watched the young president for several seconds, and Rufus felt his throat tighten. He could have flinched at Cloud's hard gaze. "We should call for backup first…" Rufus said, his voice somewhat small, his entire stature feeling miniaturized under Cloud's cold blue eyes.

"People are dead, Rufus, and Red XIII say's it was Jenova. We need to get to the source." Cloud stated, his gaze never faltering.

"Just my point, people are dead." Rufus replied quickly, swallowing hard and looking away from Cloud's stare. "What if we –"

"We won't." Cloud interrupted, dismissing any grim thoughts of death befalling any one of them.

Rufus felt something hit the top of his hair, and his sent his hand up to comb the object out. Just then, several other pieces of debris fell from the ceiling and then the ground vibrated. Instantaneously, the group lost their footing as a whole, and they fell to the dirt floor. Debris rained down on them in the form of sand-sized pieces of dirt and rock. As quickly as it had started, it stopped. Rufus pushed himself up to his feet and looked around. "An explosion?" He asked, not directing his question at anyone.

Cloud unsheathed First Tsurugi and pointed with his free hand as he directed his allies. Although Cloud never claimed to be a leader, he was quite good at it. "Rufus, you and the Turks stay here. Barret, Cid, stay with them. We don't want to risk being boxed in from the front and back. Everyone else, with me."

"Be back in an hour or we're comin', too." Barret announced before the group could disappear. Cloud turned his head back over his shoulder and gave Barret a stern nod before disappearing into the next tunnel.

* * *

Nanaki sat on a ledge that overlooked Cosmo Canyon. He tried to clear his mind, but found it difficult when Sephiroth and Jenova dominated every aspect of his thoughts. He worried about where Sephiroth was, or where the man would strike next, but no one knew where he would pop up or if he even would. Right now, Nanaki's friends were probably inside of the Northern Cave. The Planet hadn't told him everything, only that Jenova was wreaking havoc inside. He didn't know if Rufus played a factor in any way. 

Sighing, Nanaki looked up to the sky. He wished that Grandfather Bugenhagen was here to help, to give him advice on what to do. Or maybe if his grandfather was still alive, maybe he would be able to talk to the Planet better than Nanaki – he'd had many times more experience than Nanaki. The clouds shifted colors, the hues of morning painting the sky, and Nanaki looked back down to the settlement of Cosmo Canyon. Everyone else was still sleeping. Nanaki had sat in Bugenhagen's laboratory for several hours in silence, waiting for more answers, for a lead on Sephiroth. There was nothing. Now he was taking a break, and attempting to clear his mind so that the Planet may talk to him with his thoughts interrupting the conversation.

"Nanaki…"

Nanaki looked back over his shoulder. Reeve Tuesti stood there, hands folded behind his back. Nanaki turned back to overlook Cosmo Canyon. "Hello, Reeve." He paused, and then looked back at the WRO leader. "You know, friend, Red XIII is just fine…"

Reeve walked up next to his friend and stared out across the plains of Cosmo Canyon, past them, and into the ocean that lay beyond. Gaia was a beautiful place, giving Reeve further reason to fight for the Planet. Reeve smiled at Nanaki. "I…Think its right for me to address you by your proper name when in your homeland."

Nanaki nodded understandingly. "As you wish." He turned his red-furred head back out to the settlement and watched as the lights in one of the small huts came on. Although the sun had risen, it had not yet provided sufficient light to the research-dedicated community that was his home.

"Did you find anything out?" Reeve asked, frowning a bit in worry.

Nanaki shook his head. "No…I think that my own thoughts were making the Planet nervous…It would not speak to me after I learned of the North Cave."

Reeve nodded, although his wasn't sure he understood the entire process of having a conversation with the Planet. "Do you think Sephiroth is there…?"

Nanaki shook his head. "It is impossible to tell, friend…I only hope that we are as strong now as we were two years ago. If Sephiroth is to return in his absolute form, then Cloud may not be able to defeat him alone. We need to find that strength again – the strength to fight."

* * *

Rufus sat on an abandoned chair, which had once seated someone who may very well be dead now. To his right, Tseng sat on the edge of a panel that was crowded with many buttons, levers, and knobs. Elena was next to Tseng, also leaning on the control panel. On Rufus' left, Reno sat in a chair, with Rude next to him. Rude was sitting straight, face stoic, arms crossed over his wide chest. Reno sat with the back of the chair in front of him, arms crossed over the top of the chairs back, and his chin resting on his arms. 

"This is bullshit." Reno started, sighing loudly. "Trained professionals and two of the best known terrorists in the world are sitting around and doing jackshit in the face of danger." After staring daggers at Reno, Cid puffed on his cigarette and shrugged. Barret, meanwhile, grunted loudly and turned away from Reno. "Sorry – but I'm just sayin'…shouldn't we be down there helping out?"

"Well, Cloud's the head honcho 'round here, so jus' sit tight for an hour, and then you can go down there like some crazy sonuvabitch and kill anything in your way." Cid explained with a smirk.

"Hey, Rufus," It was Barret who called into the control room, interrupting the conversation. The young blonde raised his head. "How many people did you have down here anyway?"

Rufus shook his head. "I don't know the exact numbers…But it's about twenty soldiers staffed here, and a couple dozen scientists."

"Why soldiers?" Barret asked next. Suddenly, Rufus wondered if the burly man still held a grudge against – and in turn, was still suspicious of – the Shin-Ra company, or what was left of it anyways.

Rufus grinned. "Well, there are still plenty of people in this world that don't like me."

"Hey, Shin-Ra," Cid called from the front of the room, interrupting Barret and Rufus' conversation. He was stomping out his cigarette as he spoke. "This ain't makin' no sense to me. All the shit about Shin-Ra and the WRO, that is. What the hell's the difference, anyways?"

Rufus stared at Cid for a moment and then straightened in his seat. Clearing his throat, Rufus assumed a professional posture and folded his hands. "You're not up to date on your history, Highwind?" Cid snorted. "Well, let me clarify, then," Rufus started. "When WEAPON attacked the Shin-Ra building, it nearly killed me…During my suffering and recovery, I realized that all of that – my near-death, the destruction of Midgar, etcetera – was due to my company's foolishness. A couple months later, Reeve approached me while I was still bedridden in a Junon hospital. He proposed the idea of the World Regenesis Organization – to provide aid to the survivors of Meteor, to provide shelter to the ex-Midgarians, to watch over the Planet and the activities of Gaia's people so as to keep the Planet healthy and safe. In short, to provide aid and prevent another Sephiroth from trying to destroy the Planet. At first, I was reluctant, but after reflecting on my near-death experience, I realized that without someone to monitor the world, another catastrophe may be nearer than we would all hope.

"I ended up providing large funds to Reeve and his new organization. After I recovered from my injuries, I decided to send Reeve several dozen SOLDIER-ranked fighters that he could use as security for his many WRO buildings, and to use for his idea of a global police run by the WRO. After I handed these fighters over, Reeve allowed me to control that certain group, and that is how I came into play with the WRO. Over time, my division of the WRO soldiers grew, and I gained control over them. In the meantime, I brought Shin-Ra back as a small division of scientists whom I sent here, to the Northern Cave, along with some of the WRO soldiers. In a way, yes, I did bring Shin-Ra back – but I brought it back in an entirely different form. In short, I brought Shin-Ra back under the same moniker, but with an entirely different set of values."

Barret's attention had been grabbed, and the large man turned around to face Rufus. "Then what the hell do you do down here?"

"As I told Cloud several days ago, I carried out an investigation here. Since Sephiroth died here, I wondered if there was anything more to be found…Several months later, I received a call. I sent the Turks to investigate, and they found Jenova's head. Unfortunately, Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo were all inside the cave. They took Elena and Tseng hostage and killed everyone else – save Reno and Rude who escaped with Jenova. What followed…well, you know that story."

"So you're telling me that Jenova's head was down here the entire time, and those gray-headed bastards came to claim it?" Barret questioned.

Rufus nodded. "Yes, to put it simply."

* * *

The sound of water dripping into small puddles formed on the floor of the cave was constant, as it was extremely moist. The stairs that had been installed provided a safe path along the many ledges that made up the interior of the Northern Crater. There was a thick black cord that ran along the roof of the tunnels, light bulbs placed at regular intervals in order to provide light for whoever was inside of them. In silence, the group moved down the stairs and through the passages. 

Cloud led the group down the stairs. The passage was narrow, so they moved in single file. On his heels was Tifa, behind her Yuffie, then Vincent at the rear. After the crater had imploded following Sephiroth's defeat, the old passages that Cloud and his companions had walked on their journey to the center of the Planet was long gone. New passages had been dug, new trails leading to new destinations that AVALANCHE was unfamiliar with. Since Cloud was leading the group, he was also the first to witness the horror of what had occurred in the Northern Cave.

The next chamber that the group entered was straight from the greatest horror movies ever filmed. Strewn out on the floor before them, were several bodies lying in pools of crimson blood. The bodies had been mutilated. Limbs ripped from sockets, faces literally torn to pieces, heads were nothing more than hollow bowls of bone that were filled with blood, entrails lying out around the bodies completed the macabre image of a human slaughterhouse. All of this glimmered under the flickering bulbs of the damaged lighting system. There was a low buzz coming from the electrical wires. On the opposite end of the room, there was a dark tunnel.

"Oh my god." Tifa gasped, stumbling backwards at the sight of the bodies. Yuffie nearly vomited at the sight. Cloud winced, and Vincent could only stand in horror, his usual stoic eyes unbelieving and in shock.

Yuffie blurted from behind everyone. "I – is it Sephiroth!?"

"No –" Vincent interrupted, examining the bodies closely, "those are injuries derived from some beast."

A sound on the other end of the room spurred them all to take an offensive stance. Cloud readied First Tsurugi, Yuffie unfastened her Shuriken from its restraint, Tifa raised her fists, and Vincent trained Cerberus' trio of barrels at the blackness at the other end of the room. Just as the groups nerves calmed, a creature emerged from the shadows through the flickering light. A muscular foreleg stretched out into the chamber. Slowly, the beast emerged, its horrible figure coming into view as the four-legged monster showed itself. It had no eyes, and narrow slits for a nose. Its mouth was pulled back in a permanent, toothy, grin that showcased its jagged fangs. The stringy, red, muscle, which covered its body, glimmered with the same color as the blood that covered its claws and teeth.

"Is _that _the thing that killed these people?" Yuffie asked, bewildered by the possibility of a single monster killing so many people. The firearms that lay about suggested that the victims had been well-equipped.

At that moment, another creature stepped forth through the shadows. It was identical to the first – and then a third appeared, a fourth, and then a fifth. Suddenly, AVALANCHE was starting to understand how those people that lie throughout the cave had been so overwhelmed. Within ten seconds, fifteen more four-legged creatures emerged from the shadows. A total of about twenty, if not more, of the creatures stood at the other end of the chamber, which itself was not large enough for AVALANCHE to gain a substantial advantage over the monsters.

"We've seen worse." Vincent said stoically. Sensing Yuffie's fear, Vincent looked at the young Wutainese girl with stoic red eyes. "Do not fear them." Suddenly, plodding footfalls filled the room, and Tifa yelling "They're coming" could barely be heard over the approaching creatures.


	10. Chapter 10

**Final Fantasy VII**

**Rebirth**

A/N: As soon as I wrote the very first portion of this chapter, I felt like something was wrong. I had some people read it over, and they said that it sounded okay. I think otherwise. For some reason, I think that this fight scene seems very sloppy. I revised it at first, and then just decided to rewrite it from scratch, but I still feel like something is off. I'm not very good at large-scale battle scenes I guess. Well, I tried, and here it is, the finished product…I hope it's passable (or maybe I'm just being too hard on myself).

Thanks go to for the second review of this story. It makes me happy to know that people are still reading this.

Enjoy the tenth installment of the story!

* * *

**Chapter X**

Cloud grimaced as the creatures head split under the weight of First Tsurugi. Purple fluids sprayed from its skull, the very Jenova cells that made up the gruesome creature spilling from its cranium. Grunting, Cloud dislodged his massive sword, but found that he didn't have time to even assess his surroundings as one of the other creatures pounced on top of him. The things massive weight forced Cloud to the ground, and pinned him down. The creature growled at Cloud, a spray of saliva hitting his face. Cloud grimaced, and as the creature howled, he lifted his free sword arm and skewered the beast in the shoulder.

In a roar of pain, the creature veered up onto its hind legs. First Tsurugi was dislodged in the process, and Cloud acted quickly by thrusting his blade forward again. Like a hot knife to butter, his sword pierced the underside of the creature easily. With both hands grasping the hilt, Cloud pulled up with all of his might, First Tsurugi splitting the creature open with ease, from its belly up to its throat. More purple fluids spilled out of the creature's body, and Cloud rolled out of the way to evade being drenched in it. The creature fell backwards with a yelp of pain, landing in a heap at Cloud's feet.

The blonde swordsman climbed to his feet quickly. The scene was overwhelming; countless numbers of these Jenova creatures filled the room. Yuffie, Vincent, and Tifa were all fighting their own battles, struggling to keep the upper hand over the creatures. Vincent's battle consisted of a struggle between him and almost a dozen other creatures. Tifa and Yuffie were facing similar tasks, both women holding their own. But for how long?

Cloud spun around and found another creature had stepped up to challenge him. Cloud swung at it, but the creature was smart and ducked out of the way, only to come up and ram Cloud with its shoulders the next second. The creature hit Cloud in the chest squarely, and sent Cloud off of his feet. In midair, Cloud flipped and was able to land on his feet and avoid a painful landing. Instantly springing to action, Cloud sprinted forward with First Tsurugi reared back in his right hand. As he neared the monster, Cloud caught glimpse Tifa several yards away. She was cornered, valiantly fighting back several monsters as she lashed out with all that she could.

Cloud skidded to a stop as a pair of monsters jumped in front of him to block his path. Lifting his sword up over his head, Cloud called on the power that lay inside of him, summoning up an aura of blue energy that cloaked First Tsurugi in its brilliance. Swiftly and with authority, Cloud slammed First Tsurugi down to the ground. The energy was transferred instantly, and a beam of sapphire energy exploded from the tip of Cloud's sword and ripped through the stone ground on its way to the two monsters.

The beam traveled to the feet of one of the creatures, and then it exploded in a brilliant array of blue energy. Both creatures were caught in the blast as it destroyed the ground beneath the very feet of the Jenova symbiotes, taking the bodies of the creatures along with the destroyed floor. Fragments of rock and dirt rained back down to the ground, the creatures coming back down in all but one piece.

* * *

Tifa leapt into the air just as two monsters attempted to sandwich her between their hulking bodies. With a thud, the two beasts slammed together, face-to-face. As gravity took over, Tifa reared back her fist, and seconds later she was burying her knuckles into the top of one of the creatures' heads. The monster dropped to the ground under the force of her punch, and Tifa landed in a crouch; blood spurted out of the crushed skull of the creature. Instantly, Tifa sprung up to her feet and delivered a roundhouse kick with her right foot, pivoting on her left, that took out the second Jenova monster.

Just then, Tifa detected another monster charging towards her. Squaring herself and preparing to attack, Tifa waited for the last possible second to strike. When the creature got close enough and seemed ready to leap at her, Tifa leapt into the air and performed a backflip. At the same time, Tifa's boot connected squarely with the monster, and sent it into the air. Tifa landed in a crouch, and the creature was just rising onto all fours when Tifa charged it, and unleashed a flurry of quick punches. Each hit landed solidly and put the creature into a daze, but Tifa feared that it wasn't doing much actual damage. Just as that thought passed through her mind, Tifa's fist missed the creature by just an inch and the beast retaliated best it knew how given the opportunity. A set of three sharp claws lashed out and caught Tifa on her abdomen, cutting through both her shirt and skin. The creature's swipe with its front claws left it vulnerable, however, and Tifa countered when she summoned up the strength of the Deathblow Materia.

With strength that was tenfold the amount of her own, Tifa delivered a hook that crashed into the side of the beast's skull. Bone cracked under her knuckles and the force launched the creature into the air, where it sailed several feet before crashing into a group of its own kind. The report of Vincent's firearm on the other side of the room was muffled by other various battle sounds. Tifa's victory was brief, however, as a creature that she hadn't detected behind her swung its massive arm at the black-haired martial artist. It sent her stumbling forward and against a wall, where she turned around quickly, only to find that they had quickly surrounded her.

As one, the circle of monsters lunged forward.

* * *

With a single leap, Cloud cleared a monster that blocked his path and landed behind it. Without hesitation, Cloud jumped up and sprinted forward. Running as fast as he could, Cloud cut down the monsters that stood in his path toward Tifa. Their numbers were simply overwhelming, and Cloud wondered if more were coming from deeper within the crater. Just then, several of the four-legged beasts jumped in front of him to block his path. Cloud skidded to a stop, First Tsurugi raised in the air and ready to strike. Past the creatures Cloud could see that Tifa was still fighting the monsters off as best she could, but her efforts were sure to fail at some point.

Swinging wildly, Cloud cut into the monsters, but they didn't fall as purple liquids spewed forth from their wounds. Cloud dodged several sets of claws, and countered with a few strikes of his own. Again, he cut them, but did not slay the beasts. Through the blocking, evading, and attacking, Cloud caught glimpse of Tifa every so often. Her condition was worsening as the monsters closed in on her. With an angry burst of strength, Cloud cut down several creatures, but found that those slain had been replaced the next moment. Suddenly, Cloud felt extremely overwhelmed – and before he knew it, he was surrounded. In the middle of a group of bloodthirsty monsters, Cloud swung wildly but to no avail. One of the creatures leapt forward and knocked Cloud to the ground.

He landed harshly, but recovered quickly as the jaws of a creature opened overhead. As the monster lunged down at Cloud, the spiky-haired warrior thrust First Tsurugi forwards, the sword exploding out of the back of the creatures skull in the most gruesome of ways. With a firm kick, Cloud knocked the creature off of the tip of his blade and jumped up to his feet. The situation wasn't any less grim, though, and Cloud looked to his left and right, searching desperately for an exit point.

His searching gaze settled on Tifa – and then something glossy flew past his head. In a howl, several of the monsters surrounding Cloud fell to the floor as a spinning shuriken soared through the air, cutting the beasts down in rapid succession. Meanwhile, the sound of gunshots echoed off the wall of the cavern, and the monsters around Tifa fell in a heap. A red mass – Vincent – moved toward Tifa quickly, and in seconds it cloaked her and carried her off to safety.

Cloud cut down another creature as he stood up and ran through the gap in the line that blocked him from the others who now stood in the empty area of the cave. Vincent was just now removing his cape from around Tifa, while Yuffie was looking desperately at the mass of monsters that were turning around to face the heroes. Cloud stopped between Vincent and Yuffie and spun around to face the creatures. "We're surrounded." Cloud mumbled.

"The others…" Vincent suggested, "They can help."

Suddenly, the creatures were running toward the group with bloodthirsty eyes trained relentlessly on Vincent, Yuffie, Tifa, and Cloud. "We don't have time for that!" Yuffie screeched, gripping her shuriken and readying to throw it again.

Readying his sword, dropping into an offensive stance, Cloud prepared to do battle again. At the last possible moment, only several yards away, the creatures all stopped in their tracks as if they had simply 'turned off'. Cloud did not falter, and almost leapt forward to strike. In fact, he would have, if the creatures hadn't retreated the next second. They did it in quite an unorthodox way, though, as their bodies were reduced to a mass of dark purple fluids. The creatures' liquefied bodies formed into one large pool that covered almost the entire area of the cave. In unison once again, the mass of purple liquid moved toward the exit, and crept into the dark tunnel at the other end of the room.

"They're gathering!" Even as he spoke, Vincent was running across the room toward where the Jenova cells had disappeared.

* * *

Cid pulled out yet another cigarette and lit it. Taking a long drag, Cid blew the smoke out leisurely as he stood with his back against the wall. From several feet away, Barret watched with a curious eye. "Somethin' on your mind?" Cid asked cheekily.

Barret smirked. "I'm just wonderin' when you're gonna' die from all them cigarettes."

"No time soon…" Cid mumbled through a cloud of smoke.

Barret laughed. "Good, 'cause my oil wouldn't sell good if you weren't 'round to make the engines."

"Damn right." Cid replied with a wide grin.

Just then, Barret's cell rang. Barret reached down to his silver phone and removed it from his hip. "Yo," Barret greeted as he slid the phone open. He was greeted with heavy breathing, and then Cloud's voice. He must have been running.

"_Get down here! Jenova's here!_"

Barret fumbled a bit with the phone. "Shit! Hold on Spiky, we're comin'!"

* * *

The tunnel in which the colony of liquefied Jenova cells had disappeared was a long one full of darkness. The lights that still worked were dim and flickered constantly, providing very little guidance to where Cloud and the others were heading. Vincent's footsteps echoed far ahead, Tifa, Yuffie, and Cloud's echoing around them constantly. Just as Cloud closed his cell phone after calling Barret, he was stumbling out onto a large steel platform that jutted out toward the center of a room that was several thousand meters wide and had a ceiling three times as high.

The walls glimmered with the familiar glint of steel, as they were weaved with iron that matched the numerous steel beams that crisscrossed the ceiling. Several hundred feet up was a catwalk that stretched the length of the room. Unseen recessed exits were at either end of the catwalk. From the catwalk were large lights that shone brightly, their source apparently different than the ones in the pervious rooms AVALANCHE had been in. On the far left side of the platform was an elevator that led up and past the catwalk. The platform itself had an area of around ten-thousand square feet, and had various different consoles around the edges. The floor was steel and was covered in thick black wires. Vincent stood at the far end of the platform.

When Cloud, Tifa, and Yuffie finally made it over to where Vincent stood, they found that the platform they stood upon hung about fifty feet over a pool of large rocks and debris, possibly the aftermath of the caverns collapse. Taking place next to Vincent and peering down at the rubble, Cloud asked, "Did you see Jenova?"

Vincent shook his head silently. His mouth didn't move as his crimson eyes scanned the surroundings for any signs of Jenova. The room was quiet, not a single sound besides the low hum of the large overhead lights. In the silence, Tifa made her way over to one of the consoles and peered down at the buttons that were spread out across it. They looked as if they had never been used before.

Yuffie sighed loudly and leaned over the top of the railing. Head hanging over the rail, she asked: "So now what?"

"Jenova has to be here somewhere…" Vincent explained, "It couldn't have gotten away _that _easily."

"Maybe it's down there." Yuffie suggested, her rear high in the air, and the rest of her body still dangling dangerously over the handrails. "Y'know, maybe it went in between all those rocks."

"Mhm…"

Cloud frowned and walked away from the edge and took a seat on the edge of one of the control panels. He crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes. He sensed the presence of someone next to him, and then the voice of Tifa to accompany that presence. "I wonder what all of these buttons are for…" She asked in bewilderment as she examined the control panel that Cloud had substituted for as a chair. Before the blonde could answer with a shrug of his shoulders, a familiar voice answered Tifa's question much better than Cloud could have.

"It's not done yet." The voice said, and as Cloud opened his eyes, that voice received a face. Rufus was standing with the Turks surrounding him, each with their respective weapons drawn. Barret and Cid was also there, both looking crazy as if they expected something to jump out at them from all directions. "Those controls…they're not done yet." Rufus explained smoothly. "This room was intended to be for the construction of aircraft. The ceiling is actually steel, but from here you can't tell it. It's not finished yet neither, but is supposed to slide open to allow airships to exit this area.

Cloud only stared blankly at Rufus, while Tifa smiled a bit and nodded thanks for the explanation.

"Hey, Spiky, what the hell's your problem callin' us down here when there ain't shit goin' on!?" Barret hollered from across the room. His gun-arm had taken the form of a weapon now, and Barret seemed pumped and ready to do battle with any alien lifeform that dared show its face.

"It got away." Cloud replied simply, stoically.

Barret frowned and with a few mechanical whirrs, the metal device on his arm took form of a shiny prosthetic limb. "Damn it all, let's just go home and get some rest."

Cloud sighed but didn't agree or disagree with Barret's proposition. Tifa, on the other hand, took a much more verbal approach. "We can't leave, Barret. Jenova _is _here somewhere."

"So we'll just stick around until it shows up?" Barret retorted. "It could be hiding from us, for all that we know." Then the cavern shook. The walls, the platform, _everything_, reverberated with a shockwave from an unknown source. Yuffie's screaming filled the room, and Cloud turned just in time to see her legs disappear over the edge of the platform. She never had a chance to pull herself up over the rails that she had been hanging over. Instantly springing into action, Cloud pushed off of the control panel and started toward the ledge that Yuffie had fallen over. Before Cloud could reach the rails, Vincent was already vaulting over the handrail and plummeting down to the rocks below.

The vibrations had continued, and Cloud stumbled into the rails when he neared them. Just then, Yuffie's screams were abruptly cut off and replaced with a sickening _thud_.

* * *

Vincent was thrown off balance by the earth-shaking vibrations that rocked the entire platform and then some. But as soon as he heard Yuffie screech, Vincent grasped the railing with his golden claw in order to regain his balance, and then vaulted himself over the railing a split second later. By then, Yuffie had already fallen some ways, and he wasn't sure if he had acted quickly enough. Stretching out his clawed hand, Vincent reached toward Yuffie as he plummeted down toward the rocky floor beneath. Pulling in his legs and arm that wasn't outstretched, Vincent mimicked the form of a torpedo, pulling in his arms and straightening his legs, so as to lessen wind resistance. Crimson eyes scanned the jagged rocks below, and he imagined all of the morbid possibilities as the floor grew rapidly closer.

The floor came too quickly, and Vincent grasped forward in one last effort to grab Yuffie's hand, and then flipped, and landed in an awkward crouch on the rocks.

Yuffie laid just a step in front of him.

"Yuffie!" Vincent crawled next to the Wutainese girl and lifted her from the rocks. She had landed awkwardly on the uneven surface of debris. Vincent propped the girl up into a sitting position and touched the back of her head with his gloved hand. Removing his fingers from the young girls hair, Vincent saw the glossy glimmer of blood. The liquid blended in with his dark glove, hiding its crimson color. Beneath Yuffie, a single rock was stained red with blood.

"Vincent, is she okay!?" Called a voice from above him.

Vincent didn't answer, but put his ear to the girl's chest. He caught on keenly to the rhythmic beating of her heart, but his spirits were still no higher than when he discovered the gash in the back of her head. Just because there was a heartbeat, it didn't mean that she had necessarily gotten away without a serious injury. Serious head trauma, a concussion, possibly a coma in a very bed case, may await the young Wutai princess.

"Yo, Vincent, is she okay or not!?" Called Barret's gruff voice, not the same voice from before.

Again, Vincent didn't answer. Instead, he rose to his feet with Yuffie in his arms. Vincent held her with one arm beneath her legs, behind her knees, and his other arm supporting her back. Her limp body warm in his arms, but felt almost sickening that her appendages and head hung so loosely. It was like she was dead. It wasn't until then that Vincent realized that the ground was still shaking, and that the rocks beneath his very feet were clattering as they vibrated and bumped into one another. Just then did Vincent see a pale green color shining through the narrow gaps between the rocks, the kind of green that made Vincent think of only one thing: Lifestream.

Acting quickly, Vincent hoisted Yuffie's limp body up onto his shoulder and with his free hand Vincent grabbed his long cloak and pulled it over his entire body. As he had done many times before, Vincent's body, as well as Yuffie's, melded as one with the cape, and the crimson material shot up into the air just as the Lifestream burst up from beneath the rocks. With a great rumble, thousands of gallons of it pushed up through the rocks and quickly made a pool of water out of what had previously been a huge bed of rocks.

Vincent landed on the platform in a crouch, cape flowing in the air behind him. Still holding Yuffie, Vincent looked up at the others, and then back down to the Lifestream that was rapidly filling the room. Suddenly, the entire room shook with such intensity that the catwalk overhead creaked and wavered in midair. Again, all of AVALANCHE and the Turks were caught off guard and thrown off their feet and to the floor again.

Looking back over his shoulder from his knees that he had been knocked down onto, Vincent saw that the Lifestream had quickly filled the space to the bottom of the platform. Remembering the severe coma that Cloud had fallen into after being submerged in the Lifestream, Vincent forced himself to his feet and screamed, warning the others of the danger. "Go, get out of here!" Vincent's whim forced everyone to their feet simultaneously and the group ran toward the exit as one.

As the exit grew closer, the shaking grew ever more violent as the screams of the Planet began to fill the room in its eerie refrain. _The Planet is in pain…_ Vincent thought, knowing well that there was only one soul in the Lifestream powerful enough to torture the entire Planet in such a way. Ears perking, Vincent picked up on a noise that no one else could possibly have heard. Through all of the shaking, the unfinished steel door over the exit had become loose. The sound of the door rattling loosely in its steel slot as bolts rattled out of their designated place was loud and clear only to Vincent.

Acting quickly, Vincent caught up to the closest person to him, who happened to be Reno, and deposited Yuffie into the red-heads arms. Reno staggered a bit, but regained his balance while cursing Vincent for the unforeseen act. While running, Vincent focused deeply. The demons within him stirred, and then Vincent felt his muscles grow rapidly and stretch beyond their threshold. Vincent's pale skin turned a deep purple as his clothes melded as one to his body. His arms grew longer, black claws extended from his fingers; his entire body bulged with rippling muscle. The bones in his body shifted to accompany his new form, his spine growing to accommodate a long, powerful tail that would help keep his balance. His face elongated, taking on the appearance of a canine as black horns sprouted from the top of his head alongside a fiery red mane that stretched down his back. He had taken form of the Galian Beast.

All of this occurred within the timeslot of less than one second.

At one time in his life – namely, only a few years ago – Vincent had absolutely no control over his actions during this state. To put it simply, Vincent went berserk, lost all control over his body, and would go on rampages until the trance wore out and he returned to his normal state. It wasn't like that anymore. Months, upon months, of training put him at the reins, and allowed him to control the demons within him.

Vincent pounded forward toward the exit, speeding past the others in a purple blur. Nearing the exit, Vincent fell to the floor and slid across it on his knees. He landed perfectly beneath the doorway, and just then did the thick metal gate collapse. There was a resounding _thud _as it fell into Vincent's strong palms. With strength that was several times that of Vincent's human body, he rose on powerful tree-trunk legs, arms over his head and raising the gate. The door screeched in protest, but Vincent managed. In a voice that was several levels deeper than his own, Vincent urged the others forward.

"Hurry!"

It was then that the shaking stopped, and Vincent looked back over his bulky shoulder. The Lifestream had stopped just short of spilling over onto the platform, and the others were looking around in wonder. Forcing his arms higher, Vincent shoved the door back up into its recess until there was a screeching sound. Removing a hand slowly, Vincent tested just how sturdy the door was, and quickly found that he had successfully jammed the door in place. The purple hue of his skin disappeared, the mountains of muscle dissipated, and Vincent regained his normal stature. His clothing was fully intact, Cerberus was at his side.

"Is everyone okay?" Vincent asked, receiving nods from the group – but everyone's attention was elsewhere. The Planet still moaned, and Vincent realized how far into the Planet that they actually were. The rumbling was the Planet acting out against whatever was troubling it. The Lifestream perhaps? And if that were so, did that mean that his, Cloud, and Nanaki's earlier theories were correct?

* * *

In the darkness he sat, eyes closed, but ears and mind wide open. He sat in silence, unmoving, and unthinking. Thoughts would only disrupt the process of communicating with the Planet. So he didn't think, only sat…silent, attentive – and anxious.

And then it came. A moan that bellowed out of the very depths of Gaia filled the entire room and made Nanaki cringe. Nevertheless, he continued listening, and found that the Planet was deeply troubled. The Lifestream was in turmoil, something disrupting its natural flow. The Planet then spoke of the problems in Mideel, that hundreds of acres of land had been destroyed by the previously discovered Jenova cells. Soon, the Planet said, the ocean would be tainted, and the contaminated water would eventually reach land and spread. In a matter of days, the entire world could be enveloped in decay. The Planet continued, informing Nanaki of the great strain on its strength that it took to stop Meteor from destroying all life in the world. Another large-scale disaster could cripple the Planet, and leave it in a subdued state. Vulnerable, frail, – dead.

Nanaki winced again as the Planet's screams grew louder, more desperate. And then it showed Nanaki a vision. He saw the Lifestream, and within the green strands of spirits, Nanaki saw the disturbance. Painful memories flooded his mind, and Nanaki thought of all the things that the Planet had been through just a couple of years ago. Then he saw the disturbance for what it really was, and Nanaki felt true fear come over him as he sensed the great power of this disturbance.

* * *

The Planet continued to moan for several seconds, and then a gaseous substance rose out of the green Lifestream. The gas was purple and thick, like a blanket. It hovered over the Lifestream – it was Jenova. Everyone drew their weapons, expecting only the worst. The gas inched forward until it moved to the very edge of the platform that AVALANCHE, the Turks, and Rufus Shin-Ra stood upon. Helpless, they watched as the blanket of Jenova cells moved away from the Lifestream and gathered into a pillar of purple smoke that swirled like a miniature twister just forty yards away from Cloud and the others.

As the seconds passed, the swirling of the Jenova cells intensified. Suddenly, a crackle of energy exploded from within the twister, and then in a flash, the smoke was gone and was replaced by a figure.

A series of curses and shocked gasps escaped the throats of AVALANCHE and the Turks. Cloud stood in silence, eyes narrowed upon the form of Sephiroth who stood before him. The tension in the room could be cut with a knife. Cloud felt his own muscles tightening, his jaw tense. It was unbelievable that Cloud was seeing Sephiroth _again_, but he wondered if this was just another apparition of the insane former SOLDIER. "Sephiroth…"

Sephiroth's icy eyes traveled from the ground, and up to Cloud, where they rested with an eerie silence. Then Sephiroth's lips curled into a smirk. "Hello, Cloud." Sephiroth raised one of his arms into the air and curled his fingers into a fist, and then uncurled them again. "My mother's reunion…" He said in a low voice, while examining his own appendage as if he did not expect it to be there.

"Is that what this is?" Cloud demanded.

Sephiroth's smirk faded and he looked up to Cloud. "It is ironic, that it would take place in the form of my rebirth."

_So this is really him? _Cloud thought, almost scared of that idea. "So this is the reunion?"

"The Planet is a fool." Sephiroth started, turning and looking into the Lifestream. "By embracing the souls of Geostigma's dead, it gathered an incredible surplus of Jenova cells. When my body failed me, my soul did not completely diminish; my will continued to subsist. My will – my desire for the destruction of this Planet – was so powerful that I overpowered the Jenova cells without much effort. I stimulated them, caused them to disrupt the Lifestream. In days, the Lifestream was beset with my mother's remains...The Planet suffered, and so it sought to rid itself of the Jenova cells, filtering the Geostigma-inflicted souls from those that were clean.

"I was well aware of your comrades ability to communicate with the Planet, thus I sought to distract you all. The excretion of the Jenova cells in Mideel gave me some time as some of you fell ill from the inability to tolerate the effects of the Jenova cells invading your bodies…Using this as my opportunity, I invaded Tifa Lockheart's body and relayed a message to you all and showed her images of the Shin-Ra mansion in Nibelheim. By doing this, I effectively distracted you all as my plan came together."

Sephiroth raised his arms into the air and tilted his head backwards. "It is different now, but this is the same place that we fought each other two years ago." Sephiroth looked back over his shoulder and asked, "Don't you remember?" Sephiroth turned away again and looked back to the ceiling. "The Lifestream sat just below us as we fought; a slender layer of crust was all that was keeping it from escaping. When this crater collapsed, it revealed a new outlet for the Lifestream, but that outlet was quickly closed when the ceiling collapsed and tons of debris filled the floor of this room and again prevented the Lifestream from escaping." Sephiroth looked down into the pool of Lifestream that filled the entire room, millions of gallons of the Planet's lifeblood. "But then, the Lifestream grew restless as I willed the Jenova cells to act, to _attack _the Planet. My own soul joined the fray, and the Planet grew tired of dealing with the cells and I, thus it expelled us in this very place. Gallons of Lifestream – energy – was cast out in the process, the souls of both the tainted and the pure were ejected. Amidst it all, I regained my bodily state – and all of these souls are just waiting for me..."

Sephiroth turned around, and suddenly the air around him rippled from the heat that emitted from his body. Similar waves rose up from the Lifestream, and soon green lights rose up out of the Lifestream. Each light had a tail, like a miniature meteor, and each glowed bright as the sun, casting the entire room into a green hue. Sephiroth curled his hands into fists, and stuck out his chest. "In such an event as this, the liberated souls of the dead travel to whatever other source of life around them, thus continuing the cycle of life in another form." The heat emitting from Sephiroth's body grew into what seemed to be _flames_ as the air around him moved as such. His voice grew louder with each passing word, until it dominated every other sound within the cavern. "But – now, these souls will attract to whatever is the most powerful. Under the influence of my mother, they take on the traits of Jenova and are drawn to the most powerful life source in the immediate area – _me_."

Just then, all of the millions of spirits moved as one toward Sephiroth, attracted to him like a magnet. On contact, the spirits seemed to have been absorbed into Sephiroth's being. Every passing second saw hundreds of them being absorbed into Sephiroth, and Cloud and the others could only watch helplessly. "Witness it – Jenova's Reunion! My Rebirth! As one, my mother and I will dominate this world! Every creature will fall to our power! In time, the Planet will wither from within, and as it dies, it will emit more life energy in an attempt to save itself! But I will be there to absorb every drop of that energy, and I will only grow stronger, until this Planet ceases to exist, and even then, as the denizens of this Planet breathe their last, I will absorb their energy and rise into the ranks of a god!"

Sephiroth's voice echoed off of the walls of the cavern, and the eerie aura around him intensified as his strength grew far beyond what it had been before. Cloud, Tifa, Barret, Cid, Rufus – all of them were helpless to do anything as Sephiroth absorbed the energy of millions of souls. To make matters worse, he also absorbed the energy of Jenova, which had been concealed within the Lifestream until now. What would happen after this would test not just the strength of AVALANCHE – but _the_ _entire world_.

As the energy gathered into Sephiroth, the silver-haired man spoke, revealing the rest of his plans. "Once this Planet dies, I will use it as my vessel – I will sail through the cosmos in search of a new planet in which to start a new future. I will be god amongst the inhabitants of that new planet, and my mother will stand beside me as we reign for the remainder of time…"

"What about this Planet? What will you do with it?" Tifa demanded, anger boiling up inside of her.

Sephiroth laughed. "I will abandon it – and it will be nothing more than another object hovering in the abyss of space."

"And what if we stop you?" Cloud asked, narrowing his eyes at Sephiroth. "What makes you so sure that you'll be successful this time?"

Sephiroth laughed again, and looked around, at the millions of souls that floated through the room, encircling him. "With this kind of power, Cloud, I ask you this: what do you think there is on this Planet that can stop me?"

"Us!" Tifa replied defiantly. What ensued was a series of similar shouts from the rest of the group.

"So be it." Sephiroth replied, grin gone, face serious even as the aura around him grew larger still as a seemingly endless amount of souls flew into his own body, making him stronger by the second. "Then try to stop me if you must. But when you fall to my blade, only when you call me your god will I allow you to live long enough to witness _my _godhood."

"You're insane!" Cid shouted angrily. "All you are is another Shin-Ra experiment! A goddamn monster that Hojo created!"

Sephiroth turned sharply to Cid, his eyes fixed on the old pilot. Cloud recognized the look of extreme anger instantly, and knew that Cid had hit a certain chord inside of Sephiroth that was better left untouched. In the blink of an eye, Sephiroth moved forward in pounding steps that took him straight past Cloud and the others in a blur, a trail of souls following close behind Sephiroth. During the running, Sephiroth had produced the Masamune blade. Sephiroth raised his arm and struck Cid in his temple with the hilt of Masamune, so quick were the movements that no one could have predicted his actions. Cid reeled backwards, his head bleeding from the blow, and fell to the floor in a dizzy heap. Quickly, Sephiroth moved to stand over the pilot and raised his sword. Even now, the green lights that were the souls of the dead were still being absorbed into Sephiroth's being.

"Get up, and on your knees. Beg for forgiveness." Sephiroth demanded malevolently. When Cid wobbled up to his feet – and not his knees – Sephiroth snarled and reared his sword back. "One more chance – get on your knees and beg for your life."

Cid narrowed his eyes. "Kiss my ass!"

Sephiroth smirked. "So be it." And he thrust his sword forward.


	11. Chapter 11

**Final Fantasy VII**

**Rebirth**

A/N: Wow…sorry for such a long wait for this next update. It's almost been two whole months! No, I didn't give up on this, it's just that I've been kinda' busy lately. Not to mention that I got a PS3 back in November on my birthday, and I've been playing it to death ever since. I kind of got bored of this story after awhile, and so I decided to put it aside and take a quick break from writing for awhile. Basically, I didn't want to get permanently bored of this fic, and so I veered away from it and all of my other works.

Recently, though, I re-watched Advent Children, played a bit of FF7 on PS1 in hopes of getting my inspiration back. Well…it didn't work lol. But I started to read more stories of FF7, mainly one by Mengde. He really is one of my favorite authors right now…Yeah, but, now I'm back and here with a new chapter. I already have a couple more outlined in my head, and I think that I have a good direction for this story to go in…I think. Sometimes I feel like the plot is getting scatterbrained and I'm just writing a whole bunch of stuff but with no general direction to make everything go…I hope that's not the case, because I'm working pretty hard on this fic…

Note to self: fics involving multiple characters are a lot harder to maintain than ones with minimal character counts…Maybe my next fic will only deal with a few characters instead of the entire cast…

And last but not least, I'd like to thank the people who reviewed this story recently. Your reviews keep me inspired. This chap's for you!

**Chapter XI**

Cloud's sword clashed with Sephiroth's, and the Masamune fell to the steel platform under the weight of First Tsurugi. Their eyes met, and Sephiroth's expression was first unreadable, but then he smirked – just before pulling Masamune up from the ground, knocking Cloud and First Tsurugi back in the process. As Cloud stumbled, Sephiroth jumped backwards several feet, landing gracefully with all six feet of Masamune pulled up to his shoulder level, the blade horizontal, both hands gripping the hilt of the powerful blade.

Cloud regained his balance and then launched himself forward at Sephiroth with First Tsurugi reared back at his side, the tip dragging on the metal platform. As Cloud brought his large sword up, sparks flew from the tip of the blade. Sephiroth brought his own sword down and the two blades clashed with a resounding crash of metal. The struggle didn't last long as Sephiroth quickly, and quite easily, overpowered Cloud and pushed the spiky-haired swordsman back. Grimacing, Cloud watched Sephiroth assume a relaxed stance.

_He's more powerful than ever…_Cloud thought grimly, his brain barely able to register that obscene notion, as he watched the green lights that were souls swirl around Sephiroth, making the man stronger with every absorption of a soul. _Damn…what now?_

"You're hesitating, Cloud…" Sephiroth said flatly, but then he asked in an interested voice, "Do you _fear _me?"

Yelling in anger, Cloud raced forward as he had before and met Sephiroth's blade once more. This time, Cloud used his left hand to detach a secondary sword from the primary formation, and quickly slashed at Sephiroth while holding the primary sword against Sephiroth's Masamune. Sephiroth broke the contact as he jumped backwards to avoid having his abdomen cut open, but quickly jumped forward again with Masamune pointed forward. Cloud was only barely able to evade the tip of the sword, stepping out of the way at the very last second. With his left hand, Cloud chopped down onto Masamune, again forcing the tip of the blade into the steel platform and then Cloud swung his primary sword at Sephiroth while keeping the silver-haired mans sword pinned to the floor.

First Tsurugi's primary formation swung right overtop of Sephiroth as the man bent forward at the waist, evading Cloud's sword by a great deal. Just as Cloud finished his swing, and before he could react, Sephiroth sprung up and forward and shoved his fist into Cloud's abdomen. Cloud bent forward instantly, the wind knocked from his lungs, and his stomach tight with pain. The next second, Sephiroth buried his elbow into Cloud's back and sent the blonde haired swordsman to the ground. First Tsurugi slipped from his grip and slid out of his reach.

Cloud rolled onto his back, searing pain still present in his gut as he tried to catch his breath. The next thing Cloud knew, Sephiroth was standing overtop of him, the tip of Masamune resting on Cloud's chest. Sephiroth drug the blade across Cloud's shirt and stopped it directly overtop of Cloud's heart. He pressed softly, the tip of Masamune poking through Cloud's shirt and onto his chest. Knowing that his life now rested in Sephiroth's hands, Cloud didn't dare move a muscle, lest it sent Masamune into his heart.

"…Cloud, what do you cherish most? Tell me, so that you may live another day…" Sephiroth whispered maliciously. "Give me the pleasure of seeing you grieve over what I take away."

Immeasurable anger exploded inside of Cloud as his body grew tense and anger made him quiver. "I would die first." Cloud hissed.

Sephiroth grinned. "Foolish – you hold the lives of others before your own?" Cloud winced as Masamune was pressed harder against his chest, the tip drawing some blood. "It is emotions like these that prevent you from reaching your true potential…"

"Hey_, freak_!"

Sephiroth turned around, and met Reno's riot prod as it smashed between his eyes. Unscathed, Sephiroth struck Reno with his free arm and sent the red-headed Turk flying across the platform, skidding across the ground and skipping a bit before finally coming to a painful stop. The report of firearms echoed off of the walls of the room as Tseng, Rude – who had Yuffie slung over one shoulder –, Elena, and Rufus opened fire on Sephiroth. Thrusting his arm into the air, Sephiroth erected an invisible shield that made ripples in the air as it formed. All of the bullets fired from the Turks' weapons smashed into the shield and dropped to the ground, destroyed, and harmless.

As the Turks fired from the front, Barret took advantage and sprinted around Sephiroth in a wide curve as to avoid being detected. Raising his mechanical arm, the appendage twisted and buzzed with mechanical clicks and grinds. The hand folded into itself, the arm twisting at the wrist, and suddenly flaring out to make room for several barrels that emerged from within. As he fired from behind Sephiroth, Cloud rolled out of the way to avoid any errant bullets. Sephiroth spun around, somehow sensing the bullets before they were even fired, possibly hearing and recognizing the whir of Barret's mechanical arm. Just as the first bullet was launched from Barret's rotating gun, Sephiroth brought his blade up and deflected it without much effort, repeating that in the subsequent bullets that were fired. Scores of bullets flew in seconds, and Sephiroth somehow managed to repel every last one of them, twisting his giant sword in quick, fluent motions. The shield he had erected earlier still stood as Sephiroth did this, protecting him from the bullets that the Turks fired. The sound of ricocheting bullets echoed throughout the room.

As Barret's gun went empty, so did the Turks'. The shield behind Sephiroth disappeared, and the silver-haired man was left vulnerable to Tifa as the young girl came up from behind him, unseen, and plowed her fist into his back. Sephiroth did not budge, and Tifa shoved her elbow into the base of Sephiroth's neck. Her attempts of injuring the man were fruitless, as each blow connected solidly, but did nothing to the silver-haired maniac, as he absorbed the punches – theoretically – as he did the souls of the dead. Spinning around, Sephiroth delivered the most powerful backhand ever thrown by an individual – _ever_. Tifa skidded across the platform painfully, her face already reddened where Sephiroth had struck her.

Continuing the onslaught, Vincent raced toward Sephiroth and fired several shots in one pull of Cerberus' trigger. Sephiroth dodged out of the way, and during his movements, Vincent leapt into the air and squeezed the trigger again. As Sephiroth had done against Barret's bullets, he easily deflected all three bullets with a single twist of his sword. Even as Vincent's leap came to an end, and he was starting to fall back to the ground, Sephiroth was moving, foreseeing the spot where Vincent would land. Rearing Masamune back, Sephiroth thrust the long blade forward, intent on skewering Vincent through the chest.

Vincent recognized what would happen if he landed, realizing that Sephiroth's calculations on when and where Vincent would land was _perfect _down to the last inch, and last millisecond. If Vincent didn't do something, he would be impaled by the sword. All of this was processed in the last second – and Vincent grabbed his cloak quickly. His body was absorbed into the red material, and Sephiroth's sword went through the cloak like water. The red cape pulled away from the sword and circled around Sephiroth in a quick motion. Behind the silver-haired man, Vincent emerged from the cloak, pulling the cloth back with one hand and with his other he raised Cerberus – and was stabbed through the ribs as Sephiroth spun around all too quickly.

Vincent's eyes widened in shock and then Sephiroth pushed the blade harder, and it exited Vincent's torso from the back. Vincent's mouth was open in a silent scream of pain as he dropped Cerberus, unable to believe what had just happened even as Sephiroth lifted the ex-Turk from the ground and effortlessly flung him off of the Masamune like a mere toy. Vincent landed in a heap several yards away, unmoving.

Cloud had been watching everything occur within the last seconds, looking for an opening in which he could move in and continue the onslaught against Sephiroth. When Vincent was impaled and tossed aside, Cloud was struck with disbelief and anger all at once. Raising First Tsurugi, Cloud screamed in and charged forward. His form glowing a golden aura, Cloud hacked at Sephiroth in never-ending fury. Sephiroth matched it blow for blow, but did not counter as Cloud threw both arms wildly at Sephiroth. Both the sub-sword – which he wielded in his left hand – and main configuration – which he wielded in the other – glowed with the same aura as Cloud's body as he assaulted Sephiroth with a fury like none other. Painful memories came back to him, and Cloud screamed in rage as his sword channeled all of his anger. Sephiroth remained on the defensive, continuing to block the strikes as they came, but Cloud showed no sign of slowing as he forced Sephiroth backwards with each strike. Then, finally, Cloud landed a blow, as Sephiroth blocked one sword, but failed to block the other as Cloud slashed the man across his abdomen. Sephiroth stumbled back, and Cloud combined the two swords in less than a second and reared First Tsurugi back and the aura around the golden-haired swordsman concentrated to his blade.

With a shout, Cloud swung First Tsurugi forward, a trail of golden energy following behind it as Cloud made a diagonal right to left slash at Sephiroth – only to be surprised when Sephiroth brought his own blade up and smashed it into First Tsurugi, all of Cloud's momentum was utterly destroyed. Sparks flew as the two blades clashed and an explosion of energy resonated off of Cloud's blade, the energy intended for injuring Sephiroth was instead released upon the ex-general's sword. With his free hand, Sephiroth slammed his palm into Cloud's chest and sent the swordsman flying. Sephiroth was hot on his trail, though, soaring through the air after Cloud, his form encased in a green aura as the Planet continued to unknowingly provide Sephiroth with vast amounts of energy. Sephiroth seized Cloud by the collar as they flew across the platform, and then threw the warrior up into the air with such force that Cloud couldn't regain his center of gravity in time to realize that Sephiroth was already hovering overtop of him the next second. With a swing of his arm, Sephiroth lashed out with the Masamune and knocked Cloud back down to the ground.

First Tsurugi clattered to the ground next to him as Cloud landed painfully on his back. His shirt had been torn, and beneath it was a gash created by the Masamune. Searing pain burned in his stomach, and a tightness was in his chest where he had been struck by Sephiroth's palm. Cloud struggled to sit up – and then Sephiroth was standing over him again, Masamune pressed to Cloud's neck. Clenching his teeth, Cloud glared angrily up at Sephiroth, whose body was still absorbing the spirits of the dead, glowing with energy as he grinned maliciously down at Cloud.

"This power…" Sephiroth said, looking around the platform. Tifa was laying in Barret's arms; Elena and Cid were around Vincent, Elena administering a cure materia to the ex-Turk as Cid shot angry glances at Sephiroth; Reno was holding Yuffie on his shoulder, and everyone else was standing and watching Sephiroth helplessly. "...I have done it Cloud – I have become a new life form, a new _existence._" Sephiroth hissed, his eyes wild and filled with power. Cloud could only glare up at the crazed man, as he stepped away from Cloud and removed the tip of his sword from Cloud's neck.

"In mere days, this Planet will die…During its ruin, the Planet will gather energy in hopes of healing the decay that has sprouted from Mideel, but the decay will not halt, and the Planet will continue its fruitless attempts at healing itself, only bringing its own death upon itself even faster as it emits its Lifeblood, and I collect it, becoming even stronger than I am now…" Sephiroth raised his hands, the aura around him burning like fire as it licked the air around him.

Suddenly, the aura grew brighter and the fire-like energy began swirling about his body, growing in size with each revolution. Long arms of energy lashed out of the spiraling twister that encased Sephiroth's body, a loud whistle filling the room as the aura grew larger. Sephiroth's body ascended into the air, the energy staying with him as it swirled violently and suddenly there was an explosion as a wave of energy spread out from Sephiroth's body and just over the tops of the others' heads. The wave smashed into the walls, instantly destroying the metal pipes and grating that were intertwined with the sides of the cavern. The walls themselves trembled as the wave of energy destroyed them.

As this initial blast spread out around Sephiroth horizontally, another went straight into the air, swirling like a tornado. As the energy ascended to the ceiling, just narrowly missing the catwalk that hovered above the platform, it expanded and grew in intensity as well as size which each rapid revolution – and then there was a loud screech as the energy plowed into the steel dome that Rufus had mentioned earlier. It connected with such force that it _ripped _the dome off just before shredding it into thousands of pieces of twisted metal that exploded outwards from the top of the cavern as if it were lava spewing from a volcano.

Dust filled the air as large pipes, steel reinforcements, and chunks of rock fell off of the walls and ceiling. Lifestream splashed up and over the sides of the platform as these things plunged into the pool of Lifestream that filled the room. The cavern itself rumbled with threats of falling into itself, the clang of steel echoed throughout as the columns and various rods that were meant to hold the cavern together broke and crashed into the Lifestream. The platform wasn't to be spared, however, as it, too, received a generous beating by the falling debris.

Sephiroth was nowhere to be seen as Cloud lowered his arms from his face and crawled to his feet. Cloud retrieved First Tsurugi and sheathed it quickly as he watched the cavern crumble around him. Cloud glanced around at the others, seeing that Vincent looked to have lost his consciousness as Barret lifted the ex-Turk onto his shoulders. Yuffie was still knocked out and in the arms of Reno, and everyone else was pointing to the only exit, which was the same way they had come in.

"Get moving!" It was Cid who was barking orders when everyone started toward the exit in pounding footsteps. Cloud fell into step behind everyone else as they raced for the exit as one. Rock debris and pieces of metal alike continued to fall into the Lifestream, slowly but surely making it spill over the edges of the platform as the rubble added volume to the Lifestream that filled the room. The group had to watch their surroundings, as several pieces of large debris dropped down to the platform around them. At any time, one or several of them, could be smashed all at once under falling debris.

Suddenly, a loud crash of metal called Cloud's eyes to where the sound came. Behind him, and about fifty feet in the air, a large chunk of rock had fallen onto the end of the catwalk, tearing the metal walkway apart like it were made of old decayed wood instead of metal and thick steel cables. The large rock landed with a resounding _thud _on the edge of the platform, smashing the handrails that lined its edges before toppling into the Lifestream. Just then, the catwalk overhead screamed out in defiance with a metal screech as its supports broke and one end of the walkway fell down onto the platform.

Cloud turned around, the exit still several seconds away – and then another loud screech called his attention up to the other end of the catwalk that was still hovering above their heads. Several steel rods and cables that supported its weight as it hung from the ceiling, snapped under the change in weight distribution and pressure. Soon, the rest of the supports would give out and the entire catwalk would come crashing down on top of Cloud and everyone else.

"Get out from under the catwalk!" Cloud yelled anxiously, over the clatter of the collapsing cavern. Everyone heeded his warning by steering themselves away from the catwalk as he, too, ran to his left in order to get out from under the metal structure. Then, all at once, the remaining rods supporting the catwalk broke and it came down with a squeal of twisting metal.

Cloud spotted Tifa just several paces ahead of him, and she was still not cleared from under the catwalk just yet. Pumping his legs faster, Cloud stretched out for her as the catwalk continued toward the ground. As if in slow motion, Cloud would look up to the catwalk, wondering if he had acted quick enough before he grasped Tifa's arm and pulled her out of the way just as the catwalk slammed to the platform with a loud thud just a few feet away from them.

The two of them landed on the ground harshly, with Cloud overtop of Tifa and shielding her. Tifa had no time to say her thanks and Cloud clambered to his feet and looked toward the exit.

"Let's go!" Cloud urged, helping Tifa to her feet with one strong arm, and they continued toward, and eventually, though the exit.

* * *

Reeve sat silently in the room beneath Bugenhagen's observatory. A cup of warm tea sat in front of him on a low table. Small padded cushions surrounded the table, acting as seats. Reeve sat in silence, feeling a bit nervous, as Nanaki had yet to emerge from the observatory after at least an hour. Reeve couldn't decide whether this was a good thing, or bad thing, as it could very well mean either. Best case scenario was that the red-furred wolf couldn't find anything else that was troubling the planet and was just waiting patiently for any kind of signs. On the flipside, though, the _worst _case scenario went along the lines of something catastrophic brewing and Nanaki was remaining in the observatory so as to collect as much information as possible.

Reeve sipped his tea, the warmness of it stinging his tongue a bit. Reeve sat the small porcelain cup down easily and folded his hands on his lap. He stared blankly at the cup of tea as it settled. For several minutes he stayed in this same position, his body still and unmoving, but his mind taking him all across the Planet. Reeve looked back at the past, and attempted to paint a picture of the future. He wondered how many more times that the Planet would have to suffer at the hands of a malevolent force. He pondered the possibility of the Planet dieing, and couldn't help but wonder about the current events that was plaguing Gaia at this very moment. Reeve wondered if Sephiroth was truly returning, and if so, how powerful?

The very thought of that man sent chills down Reeve's spine.

Reeve jumped when his cell phone rang, the image of Sephiroth still in his head as the phone chimed. Heart beating, Reeve retrieved the phone from his inside coat pocket and flipped it open. "Reeve Tuesti."

"_Sir, I am just calling to inform you of our success in closing the hole beneath Midgar Marsh." _

Reeve took a breath of relief. "Thank you. Report any other happenings as soon as you learn of them." Reeve closed the phone and could have fallen to the floor as relief swept over him in a sudden burst. That hole, and the one in Mideel, could pose very serious problems to the Planet and its inhabitants.

Just then, he heard plodding footsteps behind him, and he turned around to see Red XIII. He was quiet and staring at the floor. "Is everything okay?"

"…He's back." Red XIII said in a whisper, and no other words could be spoken by either of them.

* * *

"Son of a bitch!" Cid nearly swallowed his cigarette when Elena removed Vincent's shirt. The ex-Turk was falling in and out of consciousness, and was bleeding like it was some kind of damn race. Cid grumbled as the mans blood dribbled down the sides of the couch that he had put into the lounge – the same one that he had gotten pissed about when Yuffie spilled _tea _on it.

Speaking of Yuffie, Reno had squeezed his way into the lounge shortly after Barret brought Vincent in. The young Wutain princess was also out cold, and the back of her head had a nasty gash. Reno laid the girl down on the couch opposite Vincent and began to immediately call for help. Elena was quick to Reno's side and began administering a level three Cure spell to the girl. Meanwhile, Tifa was taking care of Vincent; also casting Cure spells in hopes of lessening the severity of the ex-Turk's condition – which was pretty goddamn bad to say the least.

The wound in Vincent's torso was ugly, just below his ribs, but after several moments of examining it, it was decided that it may not be fatal given the right care. Cure materia could only do so much, though, and Cid had set the _Shera _to autopilot after punching in the coordinates for Icicle Inn. The need for a doctor was urgent. Yuffie's case was not much better, though, even as Elena confirmed that the wound had been mended, she also told them that Yuffie was still unconscious.

While most were squeezed into the lounge and trying to get a glimpse of Vincent's or Yuffie's wounds or a thought on how serious they were, Cloud, Rude, Rufus, and Tseng waited outside – each of them with their own reasons. The Turk's weren't exactly close to neither of those who had been injured (although that didn't mean that they _didn't _care), and they saw fit to remain outside as to avoid cluttering the Lounge. On the other hand, Cloud was far too troubled to even think clearly, Sephiroth was everywhere in his mind, blocking out everything else, and making Cloud focus solely on the intents and purposes of the resurrected Sephiroth. He was resting against the wall contiguous to the Lounge door, fingers drumming nervously and unknowingly loud against the wall.

Rude looked up at Cloud and caught the Spiky blonde's eyes. Cloud was oblivious to Rude's slight irritability, though, and only looked down to the floor – still drumming his fingers. As he racked his mind trying to decide why Sephiroth didn't just kill them all back there in the Crater, Cloud could find no explanation. Sephiroth promised Cloud that he would take everything that Cloud cherished…yet, everything that Cloud cherished had been right there in the cavern. All of his friends – save Reeve and Nanaki – were there. Sephiroth had the perfect chance to take them all out…and he didn't. Surely, his conscious hadn't gotten in the way – so what other reasons could have stopped him?

Cloud jumped as his phone rang on his waist. The others in the hallway with him looked up as Cloud opened up his phone. The caller ID told him that it was Reeve.

"Reeve…"

"_Cloud, hello. I haven't heard from you all…and…Cloud – is it true?"_ There was slight static on the line due to the distance between the two men's locations.

Cloud frowned. "Do you mean…" Cloud paused, "…him?"

"_Yes. Sephiroth, has he really returned?" _

"…"

"_Cloud?" _

Cloud blinked as static blared over the line momentarily. "… Vincent's been hurt pretty badly…"

"_So he is?" _

"And Yuffie hit her head…" Cloud went on, avoiding the question that Reeve continued to ask.

"…_How are they?" _Reeve asked, deciding to let the question go as the answer was becoming quite evident.

"…I…" Cloud looked up slowly and turned to look into the lounge. The scene had calmed, as everyone was calmly gathered around Yuffie and Vincent. "…I'm not sure." Cloud responded lowly. "They're both unconscious. We're en route to Icicle Inn…"

"_Good." _There was a pause, and Cloud stood idly with the phone to his ear. He was thousands of miles away right now, wondering just what Sephiroth would do next. Reeve's words brought Cloud back several seconds later. _"Nanaki tells me that Sephiroth is stronger than ever now…Cloud, you don't know how much that scares me." _

"…"

"_We need to find Sephiroth and stop him before he can wreak any further havoc upon the Planet." _

"What can we do?" Cloud asked flatly.

"_I'm not sure but – hold on, Cloud. I'm getting a call on the other line." _

"Mhm…" Cloud scratched the back of his head with his free hand as Reeve clicked over and the line went quiet. Cloud stared into the lounge for several moments, watching as Tifa gently brushed hair out of Yuffie's face. On the other side of the lounge, Barret and Cid were standing overtop Vincent. Although the man had always been even more of an enigma than Cloud, everyone still respected Vincent and saw him as a good friend.

Cloud continued scanning the room, and found Reno sitting on the edge of the coffee table, watching Yuffie with a hint of worry across his face.

Cloud found it odd, but didn't think much of it as the red-headed Turk stood up and started out of the lounge. Cloud stepped out of the doorway as to allow Reno through. When the Turk stepped past Cloud he said, "You're friends got really banged up back there…"

Cloud acknowledged it with a small nod, and Reno walked over to join Tseng, Rude, and Rufus, who were standing several feet away from Cloud.

"_Cloud are you still there?" _When Reeve's voice came back through the line, it was in a panic.

Cloud raised an eyebrow to the strained voice of Reeve. "Mhm."

"_Cloud, Junon has been attacked." _

"Attacked?" Cloud questioned – and then his throat tightened. Flashbacks of Nibelheim returned to him… "Was it Sephiroth?" Cloud demanded, anger rising in his voice. He was loud enough that even those in the lounge had heard him and turned to watch Cloud.

"_We're not sure, but there is already extensive damage, I'm told…" _

"Reeve, we're nowhere close to Junon…can you check it out?"

"_I'm already leaving Cosmo Canyon, Cloud." _

"Be careful, then." Cloud warned.


	12. Chapter 12

**Final Fantasy VII**

**Rebirth**

A/N: I think you guys are probably getting tired of me telling you the same old story about why the updates are so slow, so I'll just spare you this time and just say sorry. I'm going to try and keep these updates a bit more steady…it seems like it's been a once a month thing now…I hope I'm not losing any readers this way. But to those who are reading, I will continue to write this fic until its conclusion…though that may come slow, it will happen I swear! I'm already thinking of a new fic in my head, so once this one is complete, expect to find another by me, also based on FF7. The plot is still forming in my head, but I really think that people will like the originality of it.

(And I just got done watching the NBA 3-Point Shootout and Slam Dunk Contest yesterday…let's just say that Dwight Howard is officially one of the best dunkers EVER and Daniel 'Boobie' Gibson is a rising star! And the All Star Game was great, too)

Anywho, here's Chapter 12, I hope you enjoy it!

**Chapter XII**

A grisly image was laid out before him. Lower Junon was now a slaughterhouse, as bodies littered in the streets with blood splashed on the walls of homes and the ground outside of them. Men, women, and children alike had been slain, none spared in a merciless and mindless killing of the innocent. Reeve couldn't help but wonder if the small girl that Cloud and the others saved several years ago – the one who had taken a liking to Cloud – was amongst the dead.

"It's clear." A W.R.O. soldier announced, as he and three other soldiers who had checked the area for hostiles came back toward Reeve, Red XIII, and the half dozen other soldiers who stood around Reeve protectively. Two other soldiers stood far down the road, one knelt down and trying to gain access to the Junon elevator, as another covered him.

"This is horrible…" Red XIII mumbled, baring his fangs as anger rose in the beast. "…They were innocent…"

Reeve nodded agreement as he watched the soldier who was attempting to open the elevator struggle with finding the code. He had no words to add, so he asked none of the soldiers in particular: "Can he open it?" He was indicating the soldier he was watching that was trying to open the elevator.

The same soldier who had confirmed the safety of their location earlier answered Reeve. "He can, but we're not sure how long it'll take to break the code. Could be seconds – could be hours in worst case scenario. But, seeing as how it is only an elevator, the code shouldn't be too complicated. We'll be moving soon, sir."

Reeve nodded and the soldiers spread out a bit, each of them – including Reeve and Red XIII – were still not entirely sure of their safety in this place, so they kept their weapons drawn and their awareness up. Reeve had his arms crossed, his right in the fold of his jacket and holding the handle of a handgun inside in case he needed to use it. Red XIII sat beside him, aware, and listening at everything around them. If there was a noise to be heard, Red XIII would be the first to catch on.

"This is the work of Sephiroth." Red XIII spoke after several seconds, disgust highly detectable in his voice. Some of the soldiers eyed the talking animal with curiosity, but had grown used to Red XIII's ability to speak nonetheless. Their curiosity was due more in part to the mention of Sephiroth.

"It sure seems like it…" Reeve replied drearily.

Red XIII scraped the dirt with his paw, examining it closely as if there were something strange about it. Of course, there wasn't…yet. "In time, all of this may soon be tainted with Jenova if we do not succeed in finding an answer to our problem…" He was referring to Sephiroth, and the holes in the Planet that was spilling Jenova cells out into the world.

Reeve didn't speak his agreement, only nodded and stared past the houses and to the perfect blue water beyond them. He couldn't even imagine the sickness and death that Jenova would leave in its wake if it were to taint the entire world. It would be like Geostigma all over again, but many times worse.

He had received a call earlier, and he learned that the spreading of Jenova had not stopped in Mideel, and soon it could reach the water. If that were to happen, every shoreline in the world would have been tainted in weeks, maybe days. A domino effect would ensue. The contamination would spread inland, into lakes, ponds, every water supply and thus into peoples homes. Crops and grass would be infected, in turn making people and animals infected. The cycle would continue until _everyone _was sick with enhanced and even deadlier forms of Geostigma than had previously been seen. The contraction of the disease would be inevitable, as everything in the world would, at some time, become inflicted with Jenova Cells. People would die one after the other, deaths would come too quick – the bodies would pile up. Scavenging animals would feed on the dead, the process would repeat itself.

_Every living thing will have Geostigma…there'll be no place to run – no place to hide from it. The Lifestream would work furiously to restore nature…but Jenova would quickly reclaim what the Lifestream had worked so hard to restore. Worse, the Lifestream would reject the dead because of their being infected with Jenova…the Planet will wither away with no new energy and a continued spending of its own. The Lifestream will use all of its strength but for nothing but defeat either way…the Lifestream would cease to exist and the Planet would become nothing but a wasteland…Sephiroth's mission will be accomplished. _

"It's open!"

Reeve blinked, his imaginary – but very possible – picture of a dead Planet disappeared as the soldiers at the elevator called over to Reeve and the others. Looking up, Reeve saw that the elevators were open. As one, Reeve, Red XIII, and the surrounding troops moved toward the elevator. They passed more than two dozen bodies on the way.

Inside the elevator, Reeve stood at the back and folded his hands in front of him at his waist. _This is horrible…_Reeve thought as the doors closed and everyone moved around a bit in order to accommodate for everyone inside. _Children…women…none were spared! This, truly, is the work of Sephiroth. Only a heartless man such as he could do such a thing. _

The elevator dinged shortly after coming to a stop. As the doors slid open, the soldiers raised their rifles quickly in preparation for anything that was on the other side. The doors opened to a lightless, L-shaped hallway, with the elevator being at the crook of the corridor. It stunk of death, many times greater than Lower Junon, due to being enclosed.

The dozen soldiers stepped out into the hallway, sweeping their rifles across the darkness, the red lasers at the ends of the guns cutting through the blackness. The night-vision goggles that the soldiers flipped down onto their faces displayed a grisly image to them.

"Goddamn…this ain't no pretty sight." One soldier spoke with a bit of a tremble in his throat.

"Poor bastards were chopped up bad…" Another breathed.

"What is it?" Reeve asked anxiously, not able to see through the darkness. Next to him, Red XIII was quiet as he could see through the darkness with his own form of night-vision. Red XIII's species had a natural form of night vision adapted into their eyes, and the Shin-Ra experimentations on him had only furthered that ability. Red XIII was both shocked, and extremely angry.

"About a dozen people dead," replied the commanding officer, "All of them look to have died from a sword. Lots of limbs and bodiless heads lying around here, Reeve."

Reeve's throat tightened. _Sephiroth…you bastard._

"Kai, Johnson, Spooner, check the locker room to the north of us for survivors or hostiles. Regroup and we'll move on to the left and into the streets."

"Movin' out." One of the soldiers replied, and the three of them moved on through the darkness toward the locker room.

"Got any more of those goggles?" Reeve asked curiously, wanting to see the damages that Sephiroth had inflicted upon the W.R.O. soldiers that were stationed in Junon.

"No," the captain replied, "But you can use mine if you want to see your surroundings." There was some noise, and then Reeve saw a flashing red light through the darkness. "The light, its my goggles, take 'em." Reeve reached out through the darkness and grabbed the goggles, but before he could take them the captain said, "I'll need those back quick."

Reeve took the goggles and put them over his head. For a moment, his eyes needed to adjust to the new shades of green that he was seeing, and when his eyes did adjust, Reeve saw first hand what those soldiers had seen. Decapitated, and in some cases also armless, corpses lay sprawled through the hallway. Blood stained virtually every inch of the walls, puddles of the stuff surrounding the dead bodies. Brutally hacked arms lay on the ground, most of which still gripped sub-machine guns. Bullets riddled the walls, but there was not one corpse that wasn't W.R.O.

Suddenly, there was shots from up ahead. Reeve looked, and saw that the locker room door was still open and flashes of gunfire were coming from inside.

* * *

An icy wind blew through his hair and clothes, but Cloud did not notice it. Too deep in his thoughts and worries, Cloud had spoken very little since leaving the North Crater. It wasn't that Cloud was ignoring his friends' injuries – Vincent and Yuffie's health were also weighing down upon him – but Cloud couldn't help but look at the bigger picture. Staring out toward the Great Glacier, Cloud's thoughts were so distant that it felt as if his mind wasn't actually at Icicle Inn. Instead, it wondered about and touched on every possibility that could occur in the next few days.

Cloud couldn't help but picture a razed Junon – an entire city gone in one day. Cloud feared for what would inevitably come while Sephiroth was still walking the Planet – Junon may only be the first of a long list of cities destroyed by Sephiroth. As strong as Sephiroth now was, Cloud wondered what could possibly stop the maniac from leveling the entire planet city by city. The fight to come would not be an easy one – in fact, it was a fight that Cloud dreaded. With Sephiroth's newfound strength, victory didn't seem to be an option. Only failure, death, and pain were left on the table for him.

"Cloud, you should come inside." Tifa was standing at the balcony door, leaning against the frame and with worried eyes examining Cloud who hadn't turned to face her. "Cloud –" Tifa started to repeat herself, but Cloud made a slight movement beneath his black garbs. Tifa fell silent and waited for Cloud to speak as she stood in the doorway with a chilly breeze wrapping its cold fingers around her body.

"I don't want to lose them…" Cloud said finally, and quickly added, "Vincent and Yuffie…" Cloud looked down at the ground with heavy eyes and a burdened soul. "I've already lost Nibelheim, my family, Zack, and Aerith…all because of Sephiroth." Cloud looked up to the sky and closed his eyes as the coldness embraced him. "How many more…?"

"How many more, what?" Tifa queried.

Cloud looked up sharply, eyes narrowed as he thought about Sephiroth. The swordsman slammed his fist down on the railing and gritted his teeth. The railing had splintered under his gloved fist. "How many more does Sephiroth need to kill?" Said Cloud through clenched teeth, as he looked down at the cracked wood beneath his hand. "What will it take to satisfy him?"

"Cloud, let's talk inside. The cold isn't good for us."

Cloud complied quite easily, to Tifa's surprise. As he walked into the dark room, Tifa slid the balcony door closed and pulled the curtains shut. The room's warmth had already caressed her body by this time. When she turned she saw that Cloud had taken a seat at the very end of the single bed in the room. It was to be noted that they hadn't picked a single bed, but had little choice as to what room they got after they stormed into the Inn with Yuffie and Vincent on the verge of death.

Cloud was slouching, his head hung below arched shoulders and back. Tifa sat next to him cautiously, keeping a sizeable space between the two of them, as she knew Cloud's uneasiness well. For several moments they sat in uncomfortable silence. The only light came from a candle that burned several paces from the foot of the bed on the top of a small table.

When Cloud finally spoke, his voice was low and barely audible. "I don't know if I could handle another death…" He said, almost sounding embarrassed as he spoke the words. "…Aerith's alone…you know what it did to me…"

Tifa forced a small grin. "Yes, I do."

"How are they…?" Cloud asked in a scratchy whisper, referring to Vincent and Yuffie.

Tifa nodded with a small grin. "The doctor said that they'd be fine, given the time. Vincent's wounds already have an accelerated healing process, as is."

Cloud nodded and several more minutes of silence passed between them. Cloud sunk his head again and shook it. "I promised that I wouldn't grow close to anyone…so that…when they did die I wouldn't need to mourn them for too long. But…" Cloud drifted off and Tifa waited patiently for Cloud to continue. "But I ended up cherishing their friendship more than I wanted – more than anyone else knew…That's why I stayed away from you, Marlene, Denzel, and everyone else. That's why I lived in Aerith's church…I wanted to distance myself from all of you…because it would have hurt too much to see any one of you go."

Tifa grinned a bit and moved just a bit closer to Cloud. "You can't live like that, Cloud. You can't live in fear and hope everything stays the same…cherish what you have with your friends until the day does come that they are taken back to the Lifestream. Zack's death, Aerith's death, your family and all of Nibelheim were never your fault and not one of them ever blamed you. They never would – because they loved you, too." Tifa moved again, this time she closed the gap between the two of them. "Cloud, everyone here loves you…some more than others, yes, but in their own way, not one of them wants to see you go…And that includes me – I love you, Cloud, and I want to spend as much time with you as I can…but you never let me…you're always running."

Cloud never shifted from the same position, but inside his heart was softened by Tifa's words. Slowly, Cloud looked over to Tifa and grabbed her hand in his own. "Tifa…" Cloud swallowed hard and sat up to meet her face levelly. "I…can't love you back…not in the way that you love me…"

"Why?" Tifa questioned in a whisper, "Didn't you just hear what I said?"

Cloud nodded. "Yes…but Sephiroth…he would kill you…"

Tifa shook her head. "That doesn't scare me, Cloud. As long as I know that you love me back – that all of my loving and waiting for you for the past years weren't for nothing…that's all that matters."

For what seemed an infinitely long time, they stared at each other, each of their faces shadowed by the dancing flame on the candle. Cloud was confused, lost, scared, angry, and mournful – all at the same time. These emotions created a whirlwind inside of him, and Cloud was torn between the different feelings. In one way, his body told him to leave, in another he wanted to tell Tifa that they would never work, and in the third way…Cloud wanted…

Leaning forward, Cloud kissed Tifa with no hesitation. Throwing all of his feelings away but one, Cloud kissed the woman that he had loved for so long. For years, he held back – for years he tried to ignore his feelings for her. But now, Cloud felt it was right, he felt that it was time to act on his feelings and let Tifa know that he did love her back. Because for every moment that Cloud denied her love, he knew that he had hurt Tifa – although she had never showed it – and now it was time to show Tifa that she did mean something to him.

His lips pressed against hers brought back memories of a simpler time – memories that Cloud hadn't even remembered until now. Tifa and he were sitting on Cloud's bed while his mother was busy downstairs with supper. The two of them had been out and about the entire day, chasing each other and just acting as kids of their age were expected to act. It was then that Tifa leaned forward and planted a kiss on Cloud's cheek before running out of the house to leave Cloud surprised…and happy. Not their only kiss, but one that was important.

But now, Cloud felt as if this was his first kiss with Tifa, and in a way it was. This was the first time since returning to Midgar that Cloud allowed himself to actually show his feelings for Tifa – and this time, actually kiss her. Emotions ran rampant inside of Cloud, but most of all he finally felt at ease with himself and the things around him. He felt like there were no more worries…no more _anything _besides Tifa's lips and his own.

Suddenly, Tifa was tugging on Cloud's shirt and bringing him down on top of her. Through their kiss, Tifa's hand worked to remove Cloud's sword sheath, and his shirt followed close behind. Once removed, Cloud was hesitant to do the same to Tifa. When his hand moved to the zipper of her vest, he hesitated but Tifa grinned and nodded. As if taking a leap of faith, Cloud slowly and easily grasped it and unzipped her vest. Sliding the leather material off and revealing her shirt beneath, Cloud went back to kissing her as he grabbed the end of her shirt. His fingertips brushed across her smooth skin in the process, and Cloud felt chills come over him as he slowly lifted the shirt over Tifa's head.

Their kissing continued as Cloud's fingers traveled along Tifa's smooth body. Before this, Cloud had barely ever hugged Tifa…but now he was crossing all boundaries and all restrictions that he had set up for himself. Now he was moving past all of that and finally showing his emotions and actually giving himself what he had so long desired.

Tifa's fingers traveled along Cloud's chest and stomach, all the while, their lips were locked, tongues exploring one another's mouths. Tifa's hands traveled around to Cloud's back, all the while the swordsman was trying to figure out if this were a dream, or if, in fact, it was really happening. Tifa worked her hands down to Cloud's waist, where her fingers grasped the waist of his pants.

Cloud froze and looked at Tifa as the woman worked with his button and zipper.

"This…is what you want, then?" Cloud asked, knowing that what was to follow would be a bond of love and deep feelings for one another.

Tifa only grinned response as she successfully unzipped Cloud's pants and started to pull them off of him. Cloud was very hesitant to release the button and zipper that was on Tifa's shorts. But he, against what his mind was screaming out for him to do, eventually did and slid the shorts down to her hips. With one hand, Cloud reached back and pulled his pants off the rest of the way, and with his other he removed Tifa's shorts.

"I love you, Cloud." Tifa said in a whisper.

Cloud looked into Tifa's eyes for several seconds before finally admitting what he had been holding back. "I love you, too."

* * *

"Gimme' those!" The captain yelled immediately, and Reeve responded by quickly removing the night-vision goggles and handing them toward the captain. He fumbled through the dark to get the goggles, and when the captain put them on his head, he pressed into his headset and spoke. "Spooner, what the hells goin' on in there!?"

"_Oh shit…sorry sir, a corpse just fell out of a locker and scared Johnson…everything's a-okay." _

The captain made an annoyed face in the dark and yelled, "A locker? Someone got stuffed into a locker?"

"_No sir, it looks like the poor guy was hiding in the locker and got stabbed through the locker door. Guess it wasn't too good of a hiding spot. Uh…everyone's dead in here, sir, nothing to report._"

"Well get the hell out of there, and tell Johnson to take his goddamn dress off!"

Reeve laughed at the remark as he recognized the similarity between the captain and Cid. Slowly and easily, Reeve knelt down and spoke to Red XIII. "You should've seen this place…" Reeve said with an unseen frown. "It's a massacre."

"I can see it all," Red XIII responded, "Remember, Reeve, I'm different from you…"

Just then, footsteps came from the other end of the hallway and Reeve stood up quickly.

"It's fine, Reeve. It's just my soldiers coming back." The captain assured in a low voice. Then, in a higher one he said, "Area clear, go ahead and turn on your torches!" The entire team of soldiers complied and their flashlights came on. A dozen beams of light cut through the room, and the captain aimed his light toward the door that he knew to lead out into the streets of upper Junon. As expected, his light flashed across the metal doorknob and he addressed his team. "Through that door is a hallway that leads to an elevator. That elevator will lead to upper Junon. We'll check every building for survivors, and or the people who attacked Junon." The captain motioned his head toward the door and said, "Johnson, open that door!"

The soldier who was called upon stepped up and checked the doorknob. It was locked, and so Johnson backed up and then aimed his rifle up at the top hinge of the door and fired. He did the same to the remaining door hinge and then delivered a solid kick to the door that sent it flying off of the hinges and into the darkness of the next corridor. Twelve beams of light flashed into and around the corridor, checking for any potential threats. When it was confirmed that there were none, the soldiers moved slowly into the hall and picked up pace once they realized that the corridor was closed off besides the elevator doors at the end of the hallway.

Unlike the last elevator, this one opened right up without much difficulty and the group was moving in less than a minute. The ride up was a silent one, and the captain quickly told his troops that when the elevator stopped, they should be ready for anything to come at them. This was something, however, that Reeve guessed that these soldiers didn't need to be told.

The elevator chimed and the doors slid open. Instantly, the six soldiers in the front row fell to their knees and raised their weapons as to allow the soldiers behind them to also aim their weapons without worry of hitting a comrade. Red lasers and the light of twelve torches swept through the empty streets of upper Junon, nonetheless not one laser nor light fell upon any potential threats. The flashlights were unnecessary, however, as the streets were lit by lamps that were placed at regular intervals along the sides of buildings. There were, however, a sickening amount of corpses littering the streets – killed in the same fashion as all others.

"Careful – the killers could be blending in with the dead." The captain ordered his troops as they stepped out of the elevator. The soldiers spread out in order to cover the entire street and allow for easier scanning of the bodies as they moved. Reeve and Red XIII dropped into step behind the line of soldiers and followed quietly as the soldiers crept down the street, paying close attention to every dead body in fear of being ambushed.

"Buildings ten meters from our position," The captain announced, "at eleven and one o' clock. Careful, could be hostiles."

Reeve looked and saw the buildings that the captain spoke of. Just then, the ground beneath their feet trembled enough to make them all stumble, and nearly half lost their footing. It wasn't long after that at the very end of the long street, a large shadow grew into the sky and Reeve realized that it was no shadow, but rather the ground was being torn up and coming at them like a monstrous tidal wave of concrete.

"On your feet!" Yelled the captain quickly, "Move into one of those buildings! Move! _MOVE_!"

The soldiers all scrambled to their feet and ran to whichever building was closest to them, which successfully split the group of twelve soldiers in half and into either building. Red XIII and Reeve ran to the same building as the captain. Reeve was the last one inside, and he slammed the door shut behind him. A large plate glass window didn't mean anything good and the captain ordered everyone away from it.

Reeve ran to the wall opposite the window – like everyone else – and squatted down into a corner next to Red XIII who looked to Reeve and said, "It's _him_," just before his voice was drowned out by a tremor that made the entire store rattle. Everything that wasn't heavy or secure enough came crashing to the floor with a loud bang, just as the wave of asphalt moved past the window and darkened everything. The sound of glass shattering caused some soldiers to scream 'get down' and 'cover your head' as chunks of concrete poured into the building like it was water flooding the street. The door didn't hold, and exploded into the room with a surge of rock following.

The rumbling continued for several moments before a resounding 'boom' came from outside the building. The ground stopped shaking, and the sound of the tumbling concrete also came to a halt. Slowly, Reeve stood up and assessed his surroundings. The shop looked to have been hit by an earthquake – as, theoretically, it had – and the front window had been completely shattered as a ton of concrete poured in through it. The concrete outside the store was level with the window, so it was piled up about three feet.

"Everyone okay?" A resounding yes came back to the captain, and he nodded. "Alright, let's go and check on the other team. Reeve, we'll go out first to make sure it's clear."

The soldiers moved to the window – since the doorway was blocked by debris and they filed out of the storefront. When the captain called the all clear, Reeve and Red XIII moved to the window and climbed out without difficulty. The street was now a jagged bed of rocks that made it extremely hard to traverse. Despite that, Reeve and Red XIII still made their way toward the captain and his soldiers, who had gathered at about the middle of the street to assess their surroundings. But the destruction wasn't what bothered Reeve – it was what Red XIII had told him.

"Are you sure it's Sephiroth?" Reeve whispered.

"Certain. I can sense his energy…" Replied Red XIII surely.

Reeve cursed under his breath just as every last light on the street flickered with a threat of going off. The soldiers all raised their weapons – and then the lights went off, casting the entire street into complete and utter darkness.

"Lights on!" The captain yelled, but several flashlights had already clicked on by the time he had said this.

"What's going on!?"

"I don't see shit!"

The soldiers all yelled in confusion as their flashlights cut through the darkness but to limited efficiency. Unable to see what had just torn thousands upon thousands of square feet of concrete into bits of rock, the soldiers all panicked as they wrestled not only with that, but the fact that someone had just turned out the lights and they couldn't see a thing.

Just then, a flash of slick, black clothing, shined in a soldiers flashlight.

"It's him!" Growled Red XIII, "It's Sephiroth!"

The sound of pounding footsteps across the broken ground made Reeve look in every which direction in a panic. A light passed over a form that quickly leapt out of the beam of light, and then there was screams coming from Reeve and Red XIII's right. The screams quickly turned to a gurgling sound, and then a flashlight clattered to the ground and a body fell beside it. More screams ensued and the confusion piled up as Reeve and Red XIII snapped their necks back and forth between screams, footsteps, and rapid gunfire.

Reeve squatted in order to avoid the gunfire, but was defenseless to the assailant who was picking off the soldiers one-by-one.

Red XIII, who could see everything through the dark, could only watch in horror as a figure moved back and forth between random soldiers, cutting them down with a sword that glimmered occasionally in the wild dance of torch light and gunfire. Although his senses screamed the identity of the assailant clearly, Red XIII could not see the assailant and give him or her positive identification because of the persons extremely quick movements.

Meanwhile, Reeve grabbed for a flashlight and pointed it in every which direction. Occasionally, Reeve would get the attacker in the light, but the assailant would move to its next victim far too quickly. Screams and gunfire dominated upper Junon and Reeve couldn't be more frightened, as he didn't know what the hell was going on, but did know that his life could be taken at any moment.

Just then, Reeve's light flashed upon something – and then his eyes went wide and his throat tightened. He could barely utter the name of Sephiroth as he saw the silver-haired man walking toward a downed soldier who was screaming out in fear and pain. Just as Reeve yelled out, Sephiroth thrust his blade into the chest of the downed soldier. A sickening, wet _crack _ensued as Sephiroth twisted his blade before dislodging it from the man's chest bone. Sephiroth looked up and towards Reeve and grinned – then he was gone.

"Damn it!" Screamed Reeve, as he pointed swept the flashlight back and forth in search of the silver-haired man. "Where did he go!?"

"I don't see him…" Nanaki whispered, looking for any signs of Sephiroth through the darkness. It wasn't that Sephiroth couldn't be seen – he'd disappeared.

Suddenly, the lights on the street came back on with a sudden blast of light that temporarily blinded Reeve and Red XIII. As the two attempted to regain their vision, a horrible sight soon became clear to them. The entire team of soldiers had been slain, and was laying about them in a bloody mess. None had been spared; none showed even the slightest sign of life.

"Blasphemy will not be tolerated." Reeve and Red XIII both spun around, and met Sephiroth's deep-set Mako green eyes as he stared at them with an intense gaze. "How dare they pursue an attack on a god…" Sephiroth said in a low, calm voice. His face was unreadable, his body was still and relaxed – when suddenly Sephiroth's form disappeared, only to reappear and come to Reeve and Red XIII's attention several seconds later when he spoke from his new location about five meters to their left.

"I have spared your lives…but only so that you may die at a time that I see fit." Sephiroth stated maliciously. "Admit my godhood and bow to me, and maybe I will let you live after that point."

"I'd rather die, than worship a false god!" Reeve spat with malice.

Sephiroth's expression changed, and his lips curled into a grin that exposed his teeth. In a flash, Sephiroth moved forward and seized Reeve's collar, closing the gap of five meters in no more than a second. Sephiroth flung Reeve away like a toy the next second, and Reeve's body crashed into the far wall of the inside of a nearby store. Shortly thereafter a wave of energy smashed into the building and exploded like a bomb. A cloud of dust and debris blew out of the open window and tore the door from its hinges as the entire building shook in the explosion. Pieces of entire wall exploded away from the epicenter of the explosion, the force sending rubble flying for twenty yards.

"Reeve!" Shouted Red XIII, who started to run to the building, but halted as Sephiroth moved in front of him. "You're a monster!" Red XIII looked at the building with wild, worried, eyes as he wondered if Reeve was still breathing inside of what was left of the building.

Sephiroth did not seem to hear Red XIII's words, as his facial expression did not shift from his evil smirk, and he only watched Red XIII with unreadable eyes. "Let Cloud know that these are the last joyful days of his life – of this world." And Sephiroth was gone, vanished in a flash as he body ascended into the air.

Red XIII grimaced – or what passed as a grimace – at Sephiroth's words and then sprinted toward where Reeve had been thrown to check on his comrade.


	13. Chapter 13

**Final Fantasy VII**

**Rebirth**

A/N: Again - sorry for the late update. I just can't seem to get it up quick enough.

Well, here's Chapter XIII and I hope you enjoy it!

**Chapter XIII**

Sunlight bled through the drawn curtains of the balcony door and glowed into the small room of the inn as a new day began. Cloud opened his eyes slowly and breathed out slowly as he let the tranquility embrace him. It wasn't often that he woke to days like these, with all of his worries behind him. It was also the first time in a long time that he had slept without nightmares.

Rolling over, Cloud met the face of a sleeping Tifa who was curled up next to him, wrapped in blankets. For several moments, Cloud stared silently at Tifa as the events of the night before replayed themselves in Cloud's head. Until now, he had forgotten about the night completely. Never in all of Cloud's life – or what he could remember correctly – had he felt at such an ease. The world had dissolved around him for just one night, and Cloud – for the first time in years – had no worries, no regrets, grief, or heartache.

But just as fast as he remembered he and Tifa's night, did his problems come crawling back to him. Cloud closed his eyes and took a breath, attempting to ease his troubled soul. But he found no consolation in closing his eyes as the events of the past few days came back to him even clearer, as if it were a movie in his head being played for the umpteenth time.

_Ring. Ring._

Cloud jumped as his cell phone rang. When Cloud regained his wits, he moved slowly and easily to retrieve his phone. Grabbing it off of the nightstand, Cloud flipped it open and looked at the caller I.D. with tired eyes that took a moment to focus. Reeve's name was on the I.D.

When Cloud spoke, his voice was deep and his tongue was still thick with sleep. "…Hello?" Cloud pulled the phone away from his mouth and cleared his throat. When no reply came, Cloud repeated himself – only to be cut off by a dead line. Wincing at the unpleasantly loud sound, Cloud pulled the phone away from his ear and closed it. That wasn't something he wanted to hear as soon as he woke up.

"Who was it?" Asked Tifa in a sleepy voice from beside Cloud.

Cloud sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, almost regretting leaving Tifa's side. "It was Reeve…" Cloud replied, realizing just then that Reeve could be in serious trouble given the circumstances from the other day when he learned that Junon had been attacked. Without another word, Cloud dressed himself and put his sword sheath around his shoulders. "I'm going to check on the others." Cloud said as he walked toward the door.

"Cloud," Said Tifa, stopping the swordsman before he could walk out of the room, "I love you..." Apparently, she hadn't forgotten the events of the night before and was holding them quite closely.

Cloud stopped mid-step and looked down at the floor quietly. No words came. All Cloud could do was turn back to Tifa and give her a small nod and grin before leaving the room.

In the hallway, Cloud regretted not telling Tifa that he loved her, too, but was at the same time cursing himself for being intimate with her the night before. It was the first time that Cloud had not let his own fears and insecurities stop him from doing what he truly wanted. The result was that Cloud was scared of doing that again – he didn't like the feeling. Not the sensation of Tifa's skin against his own, but it was the feeling of extreme anxiety that Cloud did not like.

Stopping in front of the door that he knew Vincent and Yuffie to be in, Cloud took a breath before slowly turning the doorknob and entering the room. On the right side of the room, Yuffie lay in a bed with a bandage around her head. On the left side, Vincent was also asleep, with bandages around his stomach, and an IV hooked to him.

Cloud frowned and moved into the room slowly. _I'm orry…_ Cloud told the two in his mind, _Sorry that you two were dragged into this fight with Sephiroth…_ Cloud looked at Vincent and shook his head. _You've suffered enough – why did I have to persuade you to come fight Sephiroth? It wasn't your fight…it was none of your fights…not yours, not Yuffie's, not Tifa's – it was mine…but…I'm not strong enough to fight him alone…_

Cloud felt a bit of anger at himself rise up inside of him as he walked over to Yuffie's bed and stared down at the young Wutaiin princess. _You're royalty…you're young…you have a whole life ahead of you – a great one given your position…why did I take you from that? _

Sure Cloud was young, too, but his life had been taken a long time ago. Why should he drag Yuffie down, too?

Taking a breath, Cloud sat easily on the edge of Yuffie's bed. He suddenly felt exhausted – but mostly by his emotions. He was feeling so much regret right now; so much pressure that the young blonde felt that he could collapse beneath the weight of it all.

Cloud looked down at his palms as he said this, wincing as a pain shot through his heart. Cloud's body trembled and his eyes became warm – tears actually threatened to show themselves, but none came. Cloud didn't cry…wouldn't cry – he wasn't _that _weak. Was he? But how weak is that – crying for your friends and loved ones? If he didn't cry, did that make Cloud a cold person? Or worse, a person with no heart – essentially a _puppet_.

"Cloud…?"

Cloud looked up quickly as a soft, weak, voice called his name. It took a moment before he realized that it was Yuffie. When Cloud turned around, the young woman was staring at him with tired-looking eyes. "…" Cloud stood from the bed and asked, "Are you okay?"

Yuffie nodded the best she could, wincing a bit from the pain it caused. "I've seen worse…I think."

Cloud grinned a bit at Yuffie's words. It quickly faded and Cloud frowned deeply. "I'm…sorry, Yuffie."

The ninja-girl raised an eyebrow lightly and asked, "Why?"

"For…dragging you into all of this – the fight against Sephiroth. It wasn't – isn't – your fight, Yuffie…" Cloud felt his body trembling as guilt ate away at his soul. "Yuffie, you don't need to stay with us, you can leave at any time. I'll understand…You don't need to be involved…"

Yuffie's eyes suddenly looked pained, but not from her injury. "You're kicking me out, Cloud?" Yuffie tried to sit up, bit grimaced at the pain and decided against it. "I'm not up to par with everyone else, huh?" She asked, sounding disappointed.

Cloud shook his head. "No, that's not it…Yuffie…you're all in danger."

Yuffie's grin suddenly returned and she said, "These have been the best years of my life, with you guys, and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else – danger or not."

Cloud felt a grin tug at the corners of his mouth. For several moments he sat there and watched Yuffie, surprised at the girl's response. "You're…sure?" When Yuffie nodded, Cloud felt a bit of weight lift from his shoulders. He grinned partially and said, "Try to get some rest."

Outside the room, Cloud closed the door gently and rested his head against it. Yuffie's words were both surprising, and a bit relieving. Although he had felt relief, he still knew that he was endangering them by continuing to stay around them.

"Cloud…"

Cloud turned around and met the gaze of the ex-Turk leader, Tseng. "…Tseng?" The man looked bothered. "What is it?"

"Junon, Cloud…it's completely destroyed.

_

* * *

_

As Reeve tried to move, a pain shot through his leg. As this pain slowly dissipated, Reeve also became aware of the noises around him. There was a steady _beep_ingnear his head. Reeve tried to open his eyes, but found his brain to be tired and functioning quite slowly. He barely remembered what had happened, and it seemed that both his body and mind were extremely exhausted.

When Reeve finally regained the will to open his eyes, it was a slow and confusing process. The brightness of the room he was in blinded him for a second, but even as his eyes focused, Reeve still couldn't see anything clearly. He wondered how long it was that he had been asleep, as his eyes seemed to be very used to the darkness of closed eyes.

After several moments, Reeve finally became fully aware of his surroundings and could tell that he was in a hospital. The fluorescent lights in the ceiling, cased in a frosted plexiglass, and even the colors of the room caused him to remember this to be one of the hospital rooms in Edge – specifically, inside of the W.R.O. Headquarters. The walls were eggshell white with red borders all around the top of the room, and black plastic borders at the bottom. Reeve took a breath and blew it out slowly.

Reeve tried to sit up, but the pain returned in his leg, and then his arm as Reeve tried to push himself off of the bed with his right hand. Looking down, Reeve saw that his right arm was in a cast, and his left leg was also in a cast. Suddenly, Reeve's memory returned and he could remember walking into Lower Junon and nearly vomiting at the sight of all the dead, and butchered, bodies. Then Reeve remembered being out on the streets of Upper Junon, and diving into a storefront in search of shelter from a wave of concrete.

And then, the memory of Sephiroth slaughtering the trained W.R.O. soldiers in less than two minutes in the pitch dark. That's when Reeve recalled his injury after being tossed into a building by Sephiroth – a building that later collapsed on top of him.

_That explains the broken bones…But how'd I get here – where's Red XIII? _

"You're awake."

Reeve looked up toward the door at the far right end of the room to see Tifa in the doorway. Reeve grinned a bit at the sight of his friend.

"How're you feeling?" Tifa asked as she started over toward Reeve's bed. "You look good, besides the casts, that is. The doctors Cured most of your scratches and minor injuries…you're pretty lucky, Reeve."

"I'll manage," Reeve replied with his grin still in place. But as Tifa reached his bed side, Reeve's grin faded and he asked, "Where's Red XIII? Is he okay?"

Tifa grinned softly. "He's fine…actually he's back at the bar with the kids right now. They've grown used to a talking canine by now."

Reeve smiled at the joke. "What about the others? Cloud mentioned that Vincent and Yuffie were injured…are they okay?"

Tifa nodded. "They're both up on their feet again. Yuffie had a concussion, but she got over it a few days ago. If Vincent were a _regular _person, he might have been dead by now, but whatever was done to him during the days of Shin-Ra saved him. They both healed up pretty nicely."

Reeve grinned happily, again, to hear that his comrades were okay. "So how long was I out?"

Tifa pondered for a second before answering Reeve's question, "Five days," She said, "It's been five days since Junon."

"Wow…did I miss a lot?" Reeve queried, surprised, interested and even somewhat disappointed that he had missed the last five days.

Tifa shook her head, happy to inform Reeve that the world hadn't ended while he was asleep. "Junon's a mess though…every building was destroyed, the streets were torn apart. The whole place is a wreck and the death tally is guessed to be in the hundreds right now, but we all know that it's probably a lot higher. It's sad, but it's true. Since then, Rufus has had the W.R.O. on high alert."

"Rufus?"

"Yeah, since you were unable to command the W.R.O., Rufus took head of the organization, commanding the W.R.O. from his summer house in Healin. Don't worry, though, we've been keeping an eye on him and so far everything's been fine." Tifa bit her bottom lip as she attempted to remember the events of the past days. "Oh, and that hole in Mideel is closed now…but the W.R.O. doesn't want anyone drinking any water until all tests come back negative for contamination."

"So everything is pretty much back in order now, huh?"

Tifa nodded. "Everything except for the fact that Sephiroth is still lurking around somewhere…that manages to keep everyone on their toes."

"How's Cloud holding up?" Asked Reeve, knowing well that Cloud was liable to be very nervous with Sephiroth still breathing.

Something flashed over Tifa's face, but Reeve couldn't decide if it was sorrow, anger, or worry. Tifa quickly hid the frown and replied, "He hasn't been staying in one spot for too long, that's for sure. He's only been here in Edge for maybe three hours total in the last five days…I guess he's trying to figure out where Sephiroth's hiding…to my understanding, he's been on every continent in the past five days…"

"Has he said anything about his progress?"

Tifa shook her head with a frown. "The only person that he's talked to is Cid because that's who Cloud is depending on for transportation. So far, they haven't found anything. I think Cloud's using this as an excuse to distance himself from everybody else…" Tifa sighed and in her mind she added, _again_.

* * *

Never had Cid Highwind, a man who lived to fly, though that he would actually grow tired of commanding an airship. The autopilot broke shortly after the incident in the Northern Cave, and Cid hadn't even had the time to sit and think about a way to fix it since then. For the past five days, Cloud has had his head up Cid's ass, asking the pilot to fly him to every goddamned location on the goddamn map. What in Gaia's name Cloud was expecting to find, Cid didn't know – because Cloud sure as shit wasn't going to find Sephiroth.

Given the silver-haired mans track record, Cid decided that if Sephiroth wanted to be found, he'd let Cloud find him – and most likely in a most unpleasant way. Conversely, if Sephiroth didn't want to be found – he wouldn't be found. And that was that.

Cid raised his eyebrows and spit out the butt of his cigarette as he spotted Cloud walking out of Wutai. "So, Sephiroth's not holed up in Da Chao?"

Cloud was quiet as he looked back at Wutai. "He's not here, neither." The swordsman said, as if he hadn't heard Cid's comment.

"I could have told you that," Cid asserted surely, stomping on the cigarette that he had spat from his mouth. "Look…Cloud, I know you're worried about Sephiroth destroying the Planet and all that, but if Sephiroth doesn't want to be found, he's not going to be found. Let's just get you back to Edge so that you can rest up…and I'm sure as shit ready to go back to Shera and relax in my house after all the shit we've been through in the last couple of days." Cid, despite having just finished one, pulled out another cigarette from within the metal case that he kept them stored. Lighting up, Cid added, "Anyways, the W.R.O. will probably be right on top of things if Sephiroth pops up, I'm sure of it. That damn organization has people stationed everywhere. Hell, I think I saw one in my fuckin' shower."

Cloud chuckled very lightly at Cid's joke. After several moments, Cloud nodded agreement. Cloud still feared that Sephiroth was planning something that was in no way, shape, or form, a good thing for anybody on the Planet. Even though, Cloud also knew that Cid was right. Sephiroth could be anywhere in the world – in any cave, forest, or desert. It could take years to find any man in such circumstances as these.

Inside the _Shera_, Cloud sat down on a couch in the lounge. The blood from Yuffie and Vincent's injuries had been cleaned off of the couches by now – it was the first thing that Cid had done when he had some free time. Cloud pulled out his cell phone and stared at his list of contacts. Tifa topped the list, with the bar's number beneath that, and then came Reeve's number. The rest of the numbers were in no particular order as Cloud didn't favor any of his friends over the next. He had twelve messages that he never replied to.

On that subject, Cloud thought back to the last time he had talked to Tifa as he closed his cell phone and laid it down next to him. It had been five days ago, on the same day that he had received word of Junon's destruction. The W.R.O. was good enough to transport Vincent and Yuffie out of Icicle Inn and to a better facility on the same day, and they recovered for the next few days in Edge. According to Cid, both of them made a full recovery just two days ago. No word had come about Reeve's condition, though, and last Cloud heard from Cid, Reeve was stable but not awake.

Yes, Cloud was content with his companions' recovering from their encounters with Sephiroth. However, Cloud wasn't fully at ease with himself after abandoning his friends. He did have his own reasons, and he was sure that everyone knew and understood them, but Cloud knew that Tifa was lost. She _gave _herself to him, and what did Cloud do in return? He left.

No more than three hours after returning to Edge, Cloud snuck into the garage of Seventh Heaven and disappeared out of Edge with Fenrir. He knew that this would make Tifa feel bad, used even, but Cloud felt no better. However, with the weight of Vincent, Yuffie, and Reeves' injuries on his shoulders, Cloud knew that he needed to distance himself from the others in order to protect them. However odd that concept sounded, it was true. The longer Cloud was around AVALANCHE – his family – the more likely it became that they could get hurt or killed and Sephiroth made it clear that that was his intentions.

Cloud couldn't let that happen, he refused to lose another friend…or Tifa.

Cid had caught up to Cloud in Kalm, and after explaining the situation aforementioned, Cid seemed to understand a bit. Then Cloud decided to open up to Cid on his attempt to hunt Sephiroth down and confront him.

"_Fuck no I ain't takin' you to fight him!" _

That had been Cid's response when Cloud asked if Cid would fly him around the world in search of leads on Sephiroth as AVALANCHE had done together several years ago. Cid's opposition in aiding Cloud didn't come from his undesired position as a sort of 'taxi cab' for the swordsman, but because he didn't want to take Cloud into a losing battle. Cid saw Sephiroth, first hand, and he didn't need any other grounds to prove that Sephiroth was far too powerful for Cloud.

Cid was easy to persuade, however, and for the past few days he had been Cloud's means of transportation.

Cloud's cell phone rang.

For several seconds, Cloud watched the sleek black phone ominously. He juggled with the idea of actually answering his phone for the first time in the past five days…in many ways this was very reminiscent of the days Cloud spent in seclusion shortly after contracting Geostigma, except it wasn't the Geostigma that he was attempting to shield from others this time. Rather, it was himself.

Cloud flipped the phone open and stared down at the screen. A number that he didn't recognize was displayed and he raised an eyebrow. It wasn't anyone that he knew.

"…Hello?" Cloud said as he put the phone to his ear.

"_Cloud, it's Tseng." _

Tseng was one of the few people that Cloud had yet to add to his contact list for one reason or another. It was nothing personal, but more an issue of not knowing the man's number or never getting around to saving the Turks' number.

"...What do you need?" Cloud asked, uncertain if he even wanted to know what it was that Tseng needed.

"_We have a problem." _

Cloud closed his eyes and shook his head. Another razed city? Hundreds of more dead people? Cloud had almost been scared to ask. "What is it?"

"_I'm sure that you've heard about the W.R.O.'s success in sealing the Lifestream leaks in Mideel and in the Midgar Marsh…but it seems that things have gotten a little bit more complicated." _

"Go on."

"_The Jenova-tainted Lifestream that was discharged before the Mideel fissure was closed seems to have reacted with the wildlife on Mideel Island. Everything was exposed to massive amounts of Mako and Jenova Cells, even more so than Shin-Ra's SOLDIER division. Initially, the wild animals were turned into super-mutants on par with Shin-Ra's First Class SOLDIER."_

Cloud briefly imagined a chipmunk with mountains of muscle about its tiny body, scrambling throughout the woods and taking down animals five times its size without effort. "Sounds bad." Cloud commented, the somewhat humorous thought of a super-chipmunk fading away as he wondered how larger animals, like bears. had been affected and to what degree.

"_In the Midgar Marsh, however, the shortage of wildlife made it hard for these mutated animals to amass into a threat, they were dispatched of without much effort… The W.R.O. can handle that situation, but things could get bad if the ocean somehow becomes tainted with this deadly Jenova-Mako mixture…Luckily, there are no signs of that…but that's not all."_ Tseng announced much to Cloud's disliking. _"The Planet is still going to rid itself of Jenova no matter how many times we try and seal the surface back up."_

"So we're fighting a losing battle?" Cloud asked without emotion. It really wasn't much of a surprise to him.

"_Not necessarily, Cloud. If we can cut Jenova off at its source…" _

"Sephiroth?"

"_Right. Sephiroth's will is the only thing stirring the remaining Jenova cells into action. Without Sephiroth, these Jenova cells are nothing to the Lifestream…and if we take him out of the equation, the Planet certainly won't have a problem ridding itself of the contamination and the Jenova cells will eventually die without a host to live off of." _

"Easier said than done…" Cloud commented dryly, "You've seen it yourself, Tseng, Sephiroth's more powerful than ever."

"_Yes, but nothing is invincible – not even Sephiroth. Reeve made a recovery today, about four hours ago actually. He's caught up on events since then and is planning on holding a meeting in Edge so that we can discuss a course of action to take against Sephiroth." _

"We?"

"_As in everybody, yes. Cid and yourself are the only ones not in Edge at the moment – save Rufus, myself and the other Turks. We'll be leaving shortly, though."_

Cloud reflected on the painful idea of returning to Edge. "…I…don't know if I can make it." Cloud mumbled unsurely. His uncertainty spawned from the fear of endangering his friends by making a return to Edge, and nothing else. He had the means of transportation, and he knew that the _Shera _could easily make a trip from Wutai to Edge within a day or so…but returning to Edge made Cloud feel very sick very suddenly.

_I can't lose them…I can't put them in danger…_

Tseng could be heard sighing heavily on the other end of the phone, and then the Turk leader said, _"Now I see what your comrades were talking about when they said you were stubborn." _

"…"

"_Cloud, I'm not wholly sure of your situation, but what I do know is that your friends need you more than ever right now. Whatever reason you have for not coming…I'm sure that one day won't hurt."_

It was Cloud's turn to sigh now, and he leaned forward on the couch and ran a hand through his spiky blond hair. "…I'll be there." He managed to say. It felt as if the words had just barely escaped his throat, as if he had been choked while talking.

"_Good, Cloud. I will see you soon, then." _

The line went dead and Cloud lowered the phone from his ear and pressed the button that ended the conversation from his end. Looking down at the list of his friends' names and their numbers, Cloud wondered if he had just condemned every single one of them by deciding to meet with them in Edge.


	14. Chapter 14

**Final Fantasy VII**

**Rebirth**

A/N: Well, this chapter came pretty quick when you compare it to the past several chapters...Well, Chapter 14 comes charging in, and sets the stage. I hope you enjoy it.

**Chapter XIV**

Vincent felt as if he had never been impaled by Sephiroth's brutally long blade. Whether it was a blessing or a curse, the twisted things that Hojo had done to him had undoubtedly aided Vincent in the past three years in more ways than Vincent cared to count. But, the side-effects Vincent suffered as a result of the experiments sometimes reminded him of just what he was and how he had come to be what he was today.

There was no visible scar on his torso, only unscathed pale skin that bore no reminder of that particular wound or any of the countless other wounds that he had suffered in the years past. Standing in the upstairs bathroom of the Seventh Heaven Bar – which was also Tifa and Cloud's home – Vincent stared ominously into the mirror mounted on the wall above the sink.

Crimson eyes stared back at him, and Vincent continued to stare as if he were looking at another person besides himself. For several minutes Vincent studied his reflection, as if he expected to find something that he had never noticed before.

After three minutes, Vincent had still found nothing and finally turned his gaze down to the sink in front of him. Splashing his face once again, even though he had just showered, Vincent looked back up to the mirror and imagined that he could see Chaos staring back at him. Of course, that was not the case, as Vincent had ridded himself entirely of Chaos' presence within him.

Shaking his head, Vincent cleared his mind of the thoughts and looked down to his left hand. It was free of the usual golden prison that was the gauntlet which was usually fitted to his hand and most of his lower arm. Vincent spread the fingers of his left hand, staring down at them and imagining that his hand was enjoying this short freedom from his gauntlet. His hand was quite pale – even paler so than the rest of his body.

Vincent picked up his gauntlet and slid it back onto his hand. The claws flexed like real extremities, making Vincent sometimes forget that they were even there. Fastening his collar, and pulling his right-hand glove tighter and securing the buckles on it, Vincent walked out of the bathroom and into the upstairs hallway of Tifa and Cloud's home.

When Vincent arrived in the Seventh Heaven Bar – the first floor of the building – via a stairway behind the bar he met the eyes of Tifa who was sitting at a table with Marlene and Denzel. The two children both stared at Vincent with curious eyes, despite having been previously acquainted with the man. Vincent's appearance and presence alone seemed to always raise some eyebrows and demand at least a small amount of attention.

"Vincent, did you sleep well?" Tifa asked with a small half-grin. Her mind seemed preoccupied, and Vincent guessed with great accuracy that Cloud's recent actions were troubling her the most.

Vincent nodded 'yes' to Tifa's question as he walked around to the front of the counter and took a seat on one of the stools. The bar was empty of patrons, as Tifa had decided to close it for a few days. Half of her reasoning was due to being worried about Cloud's whereabouts, the other half due to the frequent meetings that AVALANCHE had decided to have in the bar during the past several days.

"Thank you for letting me stay in your home." Vincent said, looking at the woman with unusually soft and truly-grateful eyes. "My wound has healed completely."

"You're welcome to stay for as long as you need." Tifa responded, her grin widening just a bit.

"Cloud will be fine," Vincent said suddenly, and Tifa's grin faded instantly. "He can handle himself."

Tifa looked down to the floor, and when she looked up, Vincent thought he could see tears in her brown eyes. "Denzel, Marlene, go upstairs and play for a bit while the grown-ups talk."

The children complied easily and started for the stairs, their curious eyes never leaving Vincent's form until they disappeared from sight. Vincent had been watching them, too, and as he turned back toward Tifa, he saw the young woman sitting with her hands folded as if in prayer and wedged tightly between her knees. "I'm scared that he won't return, Vincent." Tifa said in a low, barely detectable voice. For Vincent, her words were clear as day, though. He could also sense the worry in her voice.

"He will." Vincent said surely. "Cloud isn't the type of man to abandon his friends and family. Cloud will come back to you."

"How can you be so sure?" Tifa yelled in response as her fist smashed into the table that she was sitting at. The glasses of water that had been sitting on the table fell over and smashed to the floor. Vincent realized that her anger wasn't directed at him, so he only watched the water on the floor as Tifa took a deep, shaky breath, and blew it back out slowly. After recollecting herself, Tifa began speaking in a low voice. "…Years ago, when we were still kids, Cloud left to join Shin-Ra. It took him almost ten years to come back to me, Vincent. And now that Sephiroth is back and we need him the most, Cloud is nowhere to be found."

"Cloud just needs time," Vincent stated, "Sephiroth's return just revives Cloud's old demons…" Vincent closed his eyes and thought back to when he was being experimented on by Hojo. "Just the thought of my nightmares can frighten me…I could only imagine what Cloud must go through when his nightmare is living and breathing…"

Tifa nodded slowly, and then forced a grin. "I guess you're right…"

Vincent nodded and stood from his stool. "If it is okay, I'd like to go out and stretch my bones…so much sleep in the past few days has made me stiff."

"Sure, but just remember to be back by the time the meeting starts. Reeve wants everyone to be here."

Vincent nodded once more and started for the door. "I'll be here." He said over his shoulder before disappearing through the door.

Twenty minutes later Vincent found himself seated upon the ledge of a building, one of his legs hanging over the edge, the other pulled up and with his gauntleted arm resting on his bent knee. The ex-Turk's cloak fluttered in the wind that steadily blew at the height that he was seated. Hundreds of feet below, people and vehicles passed like small insects. From this vantage point, Vincent could see nearly the entire city of Edge and the wrecked silhouette of Midgar in the far-off distance. The Seventh Heaven Bar was quite far, despite Vincent only having left the building twenty minutes ago he had effectively traversed across at least half of the city.

Staring out at Edge, Vincent's ruby eyes settled on nothing in particular. His thoughts were now distant…

…As he wondered why Sephiroth hadn't already claimed the lives of all of AVALANCHE.

* * *

Night fell swiftly upon Edge. As any other day, people continued about their normal routines. The news of the crisis in Mideel had caught the attention of some, but without the realization of the true cause behind it, no one was affected or even cared the least bit. The W.R.O. had been on high alert for the past few days, so by the fifth day the denizens of Edge had grown used to the patrolling soldiers that dotted the streets and stood at every entryway and exit of Edge. Light ships, the kind equipped for combat, patrolled the skies and scanned the streets from above. To the normal citizen, it seemed that the W.R.O. was just being cautious and demonstrating its ability to keep Edge safe – but to some informed people, for example, AVALANCHE or a former Turk or Shin-Ra President – it meant that Sephiroth could strike at any time.

All of AVALANCHE had gathered in the city by sundown, which included Cid Highwind and Cloud Strife, who were running late but still in the city nonetheless. No one but AVALANCHE themselves, and the four former Turks and Shin-Ra President, were even aware that these great heroes were all gathering together in one place. But there was _one _exception…

Vincent opened his eyes as his mind told him that it was time to head for the Seventh Heaven Bar to meet the others. He hadn't been sleeping, but was instead locked in a tranquil state of thought. In some way that Vincent didn't fully understand, he had a keen sense of time that allowed him to be fairly accurate when required to meet somewhere at a certain time. His mind told him, now, that it was eight minutes after nine, and Vincent would have been willing to bet that any correct clock in Edge would read the same. If he left now, he would be two minutes early for the gathering at Tifa's bar.

On top of a heightened sense of time, Vincent also knew when he was in danger.

Pushing off of the side of the building, Vincent soared out into the sky just as a jet of energy smashed into the area he had been seated just a second ago. Turning in mid-air, Vincent watched as the energy destroyed the spot that he had been seated, and then some. A large portion of the building exploded in a spray of flaming debris that soared past Vincent and down towards the streets of Edge.

_What if I had been there?_

Vincent's thoughts were interrupted as a fluttering sound behind him called for his immediate attention. Spinning in midair and pulling Cerberus from its holster in the same movement, Vincent turned to face what he had feared all day. Sephiroth was directly across from Vincent, both men freefalling in the air as if they had not a thing to worry about. At such a height, neither of them had to worry about smashing into the ground any time soon.

"Why are you not with the others?" Sephiroth asked, his black coat and silver hair billowing about his body as he fell at the same rate as Vincent. It seemed though, that Sephiroth was flying more than he was falling.

Vincent replied by pulling Cerberus' trigger and releasing a powerful three-round burst toward the silver-haired man. The bullets missed their target as Sephiroth dodged them impossibly fast, and seized Vincent by his neck the next second. Even with his heightened abilities and senses, Vincent couldn't have foreseen any of Sephiroth's movements.

"I guess I'll just have to take you there _myself_!" The next moment, Vincent was crashing into the wall of the building he had been sitting upon. Concrete and dry wall amongst other things smashed into his body more times than he could count as he rocketed through an entire floor of solid walls. Five seconds later, Vincent exploded through a window on the other end of the building.

Shards of glass fell along with Vincent as his body already began working on a speedy repair of the numerous abrasions, bruises, and incisions that covered primarily his back and arms. Even before Vincent could spin himself around in midair and regain a sense of surrounding, Sephiroth sped past him in a blur and waited several seconds below Vincent with his blade ready.

As Vincent spun in midair to face Sephiroth, he raised Cerberus and the firearm spoke three times. Nine bullets sped down toward Sephiroth, who quickly twirled Masamune about in an effortless manner that sent the bullets away from the swordsman. As quickly as the bullets had been deflected, Sephiroth reared Masamune back and then lashed out with a ferocious swing that caught Vincent in the abdomen.

The force of the slash sent Vincent flying back at the building and through another wall. This time, Vincent's body slid to a halt several feet into the room he had exploded into. The gunman climbed to his feet and aimed Cerberus at the hole in the wall as the gash on his stomach began to quickly knit itself together. Baring his teeth in an angry grimace, Vincent waited for Sephiroth to appear, but not before assessing his surroundings. He was inside of some sort of office building, surrounded by numerous cubicles, but it just so happened that he had landed in a clear aisle that allowed him an unobstructed view of the north wall – the one from which Vincent had been thrown through - , south wall, east, and west walls.

Just then, the east wall exploded with a tremendous blast of energy, and from the dust Sephiroth's form appeared. The black-attired man began walking toward Vincent somewhat menacingly with his blade raised at the level of his shoulders. The wind that blew in behind Sephiroth caused his hair and coat to sway somewhat gracefully.

Vincent raised Cerberus and leveled the weapon carefully, staring down the aiming device on the tip of the guns upper barrel for increased – albeit unnecessary assurance of accuracy – and fired. A trio of bullets exploded from Cerberus, followed closely by another three. At this point, Vincent flung Cerberus down, the three barrels opened up simultaneously, and he quickly filled the triple-barreled gun with new ammunition in less than two seconds. Flinging Cerberus back up, the barrels clicked shut and Vincent squeezed the trigger again. By then, the first six bullets had already hit Sephiroth.

The swordsman showed no sign of slowing, as the six bullets didn't even cause him to hesitate. The next eighteen bullets, which Vincent had fired in rapid bursts of three, did absolutely nothing to slow the swordsman. Even as Vincent realized the pointlessness of firing at Sephiroth, he refilled Cerberus and shot again and again and again.

One-hundred-and-eighty rounds, thirty reloads, and a little more than forty seconds later, Vincent was staring with amazed eyes as Sephiroth stopped just several feet away from him. Bullet holes riddled the man's body, disfiguring him beyond recognition. His chest was wide open, with purple blood all about – clearly, his blood and being was filled with the cells of Jenova. Ribs were exposed, some having exploded under the pressure of bullets and jutted outwards from inside the man's body, sticking horribly out of his skin like spikes that had been driven through Sephiroth's body. Chunks of the man's face were missing, cheeks blown off and skin hanging gruesomely from splintered facial bones. Ripped tendons hung where there had used to be a left hand, and the same went for two of Sephiroth's right-hand fingers. An entire eye was gone, with the surrounding socket broken and dismantled into a few jagged pieces of bone. His neck had been blown open in the front, and his spinal cord was visible through the gaping wound. Three bullet holes dotted Sephiroth's forehead, purple rivulets of blood trickling down his face. The rest of the bullets that riddled his body had managed not to be as gruesome.

Cerberus clicked dry and Vincent grimaced. "What are you?" He asked, crimson eyes scanning the mutilated, blood-covered, form of Sephiroth. Vincent holstered Cerberus at this time, as the firearm was now completely useless.

What facial muscles and bone Sephiroth had left allowed the man to give a shadow of a smirk as he said: "I am the ultimate life-form…" And as Sephiroth spoke his wounds began healing themselves right before Vincent's eyes with remarkable speed. Ribs withdrew back into his torso, skin knitted itself together, and bones restructured themselves. Muscles re-threaded over the repaired bone, and skin grew over the exposed muscle. Eyes formed in the darkness of empty sockets, and one-hundred-and-eighty bullets _clang_ed to the ground for several seconds as Sephiroth's body forced the objects out and quickly sealed the resulting holes.

"I am," Sephiroth continued, "a god amongst mortals." Sephiroth moved, lightning fast, and proceeded to punish Vincent with a savage assault of quick slashes with his blade. Several seconds later, the assault ended. Stopping momentarily, Sephiroth stepped back as Vincent staggered in one place, pain surging through his body from the multiple lacerations. The next second Sephiroth struck out with a blow to Vincent's head, and then there was darkness.

* * *

Upstairs, Tifa had just stepped out of the shower when she could hear Barret's booming voice downstairs. She smiled faintly at the man's words as he yelled something to Yuffie. After patting her hair dry and wrapping the towel gingerly about her body, the smile disappeared and Tifa stared into the mirror above the sink and reminded herself that Cloud still wasn't there.

After combing her hair, Tifa walked out of the bathroom and crossed the hallway quickly in case someone was to be coming up the stairs. She didn't need to worry about Marlene or Denzel seeing her in just a towel, however, because they were over at Sheryl's next door. Closing the bedroom door, Tifa retrieved clothing that consisted of her usual shorts, shirt, and vest. Sitting on the edge of the bed, back to the door, Tifa pulled on her boots one by one after getting dressed and started to lace one when she stopped and took in a deep breath.

_Cloud's coming back…_Tifa told herself, _It might take time, but…he'll be here._

"…Sorry I'm late."

* * *

Cloud tilted his head back against the headrest of the backseat and closed his eyes as the cab started to move down the street.

"Can't this piece of shit go any faster?"

Cloud cracked an eye open as Cid made the comment to the young driver of the cab, who responded by saying: "Sorry, sir, I've got to obey the law."

"To hell with the law, kid, I've got a goddamn important meeting I need to get to!"

"I'll try my best, sir…"

"You're best? You had damned well better…"

With some amusement, Cloud closed his eye and listened as the old pilot barraged the driver with a string of unpleasant words and comments, all put together in an interesting way, to say the least. He contemplated calling Tifa, but decided against it as Cid continued to curse the driver of the cab. A normal conversation was hard to have with Cid around. They'd be at the bar soon enough, anyways.

"Don't you know who the hell I am, kid?" Cid asked, pride rising in his voice.

"Can't say that I do, sir…" The driver replied, not surprising to Cloud.

"The hell!?" Cid exclaimed, and then shook his head in disbelief. "I'm Cid Highwind!" Silence ensued shortly thereafter and Cid raised an eyebrow and repeated himself, thinking that the driver hadn't heard him. "I said, I'm _CID HIGHWIND_!"

The boy looked at Cid with a clueless face through his rear-view mirror, and then it seemed like realization had struck. "Oh! I know who you are!"

Cid grinned widely and lightly nudged Cloud with his elbow, saying, "See, you ain't the only one that people recognize!"

"Ain't you the one that played in that sitcom?" The boy asked, which made Cid nearly choke on the cigarette he was smoking, and made Cloud break into genuine laughter for the first time in the last week.

"Are you fucking serious!?" Cid took a long breath and eventually calmed down and settled into his seat after several moments of staring at the boy like he was from another world. "Damn young kids wouldn't know a real celebrity if they was _SITTING RIGHT IN THEIR BACKSEAT_." Cid sighed and threw his cigarette out of the window and closed his eyes much like Cloud. "Look, kid, whatever. I'm an actor on some shitty sitcom. Just get me to the Seventh Heaven Bar as fast as this thing can get me there."

* * *

"Vincent…?" Tifa watched the gunman curiously, he strangely kept his head down as if trying to hide his face. "Are you okay?"

Vincent nodded oddly, and turned toward the door slowly. He lifted an arm, a simple gesture that seemed awkward as his appendage jerked up very quickly, and he scratched his glossy raven hair. Something was seriously wrong. "Let's go downstairs," The man said suddenly, "The others are waiting."

"I – is Cloud here?"

Vincent jerked his head back and spun around quickly. "…No…"

Raising an eyebrow, Tifa asked again, "Are you sure you're okay?" It was then that Tifa noticed the absence of Vincent's ruby eyes, but he turned his head too quickly for Tifa to see what color had replaced the red.

"Can we go, now?" Vincent asked, sounding slightly agitated before he opened the bedroom door and walked out

Tifa got up from her bed after quickly lacing her other boot. Before leaving, Tifa grabbed her leather gloves and put them into her back pocket.

Out in the hallway Vincent was already gone and the sounds of AVALANCHE downstairs could be heard again. Reno's voice was present, indicating that Rufus and the Turks had finally arrived. Tifa couldn't help but worry about Vincent's strange behavior as she started down the hallway in slow steps. Downstairs, no one noticed that she had arrived, as they were all locked in a conversation of some sort.

No one but Vincent.

The cloaked man quickly looked away as Tifa caught his gaze upon her. He was seated in a dark corner of the bar, alone, and now staring down at the table in front of him quietly. A little bit uncomfortable, Tifa moved toward where everyone had gathered in the center of the bar where they had all gathered around a few tables that had been pushed together. There was an empty seat next to Barret, and Tifa took it quietly. The burly man nodded a greeting to her, and then continued talking to Reeve about something that Tifa's heavy worries about Vincent blocked out. So worried was Tifa that she hadn't noticed that Reeve's arm was in a soft cast, and his leg in a walking cast, which was much better condition than he had been in earlier.

Finally, Tifa recognized an opening in Barret and Reeve's conversation, and she whispered to Barret, "Something wrong with Vincent."

The man turned to Tifa and then looked around the room and spotted Vincent at his lone table in the corner. "Well, I didn't even know he was here." Barret shook his head and said, as he turned back to Tifa, "How do you know something's wrong?"

"He was acting weird, Barret. He wasn't acting like himself at all. You know how mannerly he is, and just a few seconds ago he came into my room without knocking…he's never done that before, let alone even step into my room. He won't even look at me evenly, like he doesn't want me to notice something."

Barret shook his head again and said, "That man's always got somethin' goin' on in that head of his. It's probably best to just leave him alone."

Tifa frowned and looked over at Vincent, where he was still staring at the table.

Just then, the front door of the bar opened and Cid Highwind stepped inside with a cigarette in his mouth and wearing an angry face. "Sorry we're late, but our goddamn cab driver drove like a fuckin' old lady."

Cid stepped into the bar and quickly took a seat wherever he could find an empty chair, and behind him stood Cloud. The blonde swordsman remained in the doorway for awhile, his eyes meeting Tifa's and staying locked for several seconds before he raised a hand and gave a quick wave. Grinning widely, Tifa leapt from her seat and ran around the table to meet and jump into Cloud's arms at the doorway.

The swordsman stumbled back out of the bar as Tifa leapt into his arms, but quickly caught his balance as Tifa looked down at him, misty-eyed. "You came back…" She whispered.

Cloud nodded. "I can't run forever, I guess…"

Tifa grinned happily and squeezed Cloud tight as she tilted her head forward and planted a quick kiss on his lips. Easily putting her back on her feet, Cloud looked inside the bar and saw all eyes on him. He blushed and looked away momentarily before Tifa yanked him inside. AVALANCHE began cheering for Cloud after seeing him kiss Tifa, only furthering the swordsman's embarrassment.

The smiling faces and the warm greetings – even from his former enemies, Rufus Shin-Ra and the Turks – felt very good to Cloud. In that moment, Cloud realized that he was an idiot for ever running from this – his family and friends. This truly was his home, and he became aware of the fact that there was no place that he would rather be.

Also blushing, Tifa led Cloud by his hand around the table and toward Vincent where she put her free hand on the ex-Turk's shoulder and said, "Vincent, you were right. He came back."

It was then that Tifa remembered Vincent's strange mannerisms, and she raised an eyebrow when Vincent did not look up, or even speak a word, but instead only gave a small grin that was barely visible from the angle that his head was bent. Somewhat dumfounded, Tifa settled and said thanks and led Cloud over to the table where everyone was seated. The blonde man sat next to Tifa, and gave nods and grins to everyone that looked his way and he asked Yuffie how she was holding up after the accident.

"I'm great," Yuffie replied, "Couldn't be better. The Great Ninja Yuffie is one-hundred percent and ready to kick some ass!"

Cloud grinned softly at the girl's spunky spirit. "Glad to hear it. What about you, Reeve?"

Reeve grinned and nodded. "I'm fine, Cloud. I've had broken bones before…" Reeve sipped the drink that was sitting on the table in front of him and then cleared his voice. "Well, since we're on the topic of 'kicking some ass' I suggest that we get a bit more serious around here." Everyone turned to Reeve as the man said this, obviously interested in talking over the real reason that they had gathered today. Vincent didn't budge from his seat, or bother to turn an eye toward Reeve. "I think it's time to begin discussing the steps we can take in stopping the spread of Geostigma – including a vaccine and safety measures that can be taken…I also think it's high time we've discussed a way to track down, and stop Sephiroth in his tracks."

Everyone sobered very quickly as Reeve brought these serious issues to the table. This meeting wasn't a social gathering, after all. It didn't have a professional feel about it, and sure Reeve could have held the meeting in a W.R.O. conference room, but for the sake of everyone feeling comfortable and in familiar surroundings, he vouched to have it in Seventh Heaven.

"Did you have any luck, Cloud?" Reeve asked as he turned to the swordsman. Cloud shook his head. "I see…no surprise, really. Sephiroth could be lurking anywhere. We'll discuss this problem last, as it will probably be the hardest problem to resolve. Agreed?" Reeve received no objections and so he continued. "The W.R.O. has made great progress in sealing off the Mideel and Midgar Marsh holes that were excreting tainted Lifestream, and has since then watched these areas and any other areas of high risk very closely. With the help of Red XIII, we've pinpointed the very thin areas of our Planet's crust, as these areas are the ones most likely to give us problems."

"There are about fifty areas across the globe that poses a high threat." Red XIII stated. "The W.R.O. is stationed at these areas, or are keeping the areas under surveillance in some form or another." Red XIII shifted his weight a bit and then continued, "But I'm really not worried about that as much as I am worried about the Jenova cells that have already tainted some parts of the world. While this contamination is very small and properly contained, it may show us what a severe outbreak in the future may do to the wildlife."

No one needed an explanation, as everyone knew well the mutation that infected organisms underwent when exposed to extreme amounts of Jenova cells. They had all seen it in one form or another at some point in their journey.

Abruptly, a hand fell on Cloud's shoulder and the swordsman turned around to see Vincent standing beside him. The man had his face turned at such an angle that shadow was cast over the upper half of his face. It was his gauntleted, clawed, hand that was resting on Cloud's shoulder guard, but he trusted Vincent and didn't think much of it. "Vincent."

"Cloud, I am happy that you came back to Edge to join all of your friends and family…" Vincent extended his hand for a handshake, and Cloud didn't see a reason that he shouldn't. He took Vincent's hand and gave it a firm shake. But Vincent didn't let go and Cloud raised an eyebrow. Suddenly, a jolt of pain shot through Cloud, somehow going through his shoulder guard and directly into his arm. This pain seemed to emit off of Vincent's hand, and suddenly Cloud's head felt tight as something entered his body…something he knew well – Jenova.

Like an explosion inside his head, images pounded into his brain relentlessly. The swordsman's eyes rolled into his skull, and Cloud was once again reliving his painful past via a string of images that were being force-fed into his mind by some unknown force.

Suddenly, the images halted and a picture of Sephiroth standing above all of Cloud's dead friends took hold of him and made Cloud scream out in rage.

Just then, the image faded, Vincent's hand retreated from Cloud's shoulder, and Cloud regained control of his body. It was then that Vincent removed Cerberus from its holster and jammed its barrels into Cloud's forehead. "…Now I can kill you all." It was Sephiroth's voice, not Vincent's, which came from the faux-Vincent's mouth.

Just as quickly as the false-Vincent had put the gun to Cloud's head, had shots rang out in the bar.


	15. Chapter 15

**Final Fantasy VII**

**Rebirth**

A/N: Sorry for such a long wait for an update, but my internet at home hasn't been working and I couldn't get on to update. To make up for it, I continued work on the next two chapters and decided to give you all three chapters on one update. 

You'll soon find that chapter 16 can be read two ways. 1) You read it in its entirety, and 2) You can skip past the parts that have the word Flash in italics. Go ahead and read on to find out why. If you do pass those parts, you're not missing anything pertaining to the plot of this story. Enjoy, either way.

One last note before the chapter is started: In case you didn't read the summary when you clicked on this story, I also uploaded / updated two additional chapters into the story. 

**Chapter XVI**

Vision blurry, Cloud struggled to his feet. Several times he fell back to his knees, but by the fourth time he had finally stood up on wobbly legs. Head light, and his brain painful, Cloud swam in an endless, roaring, sea of confusion. He didn't know where he was, how he had gotten there, or even if Cloud was his true name. Through his partially impaired vision, Cloud saw a man with long black hair lying face-down in the dirt. Bullets riddled the man's body, and next to him was a large blade_. Zack…_

_Flash _

Cloud watched nonchalantly as Barret shook with anger at the other side of the elevator after Cloud denied caring about Shin-Ra killing the planet. Jessie shook her head, somewhat sad at the fact. Cloud stood idly, not caring about their thoughts about him, the Planet, or anything else besides getting this job done, getting his money and getting out. 

_Flash _

Cloud sat at Tifa's bar, a cold drink in his hand. He stared at his childhood friend for several seconds after Tifa had told him he should go below the bar to speak with the rest of AVALANCHE. Captured by her beauty, but uninterested in sticking around with AVALANCHE for longer than he needed to, Cloud stood up from his stool and started for the lift that was disguised as a pinball machine. After he got his money, Cloud was gone…

_Flash _

Blade ripping down through the Techno-Soldier that President Shin-Ra had unleashed upon Cloud, Barret and Tifa, Cloud leapt backwards as 'Air-Buster' began shaking violently and sparking with electricity. Landing in a crouch, Cloud grinned cockily as the machine vibrated and glowed in blue electricity – but then blew up in a massive explosion that caught Cloud in it…

_Flash _

Waking up in a bed of flowers, Cloud's eyes opened slowly to the form of an attractive young woman. She introduced herself as Aerith. 

_Flash _

"Why is Shin-Ra after Aerith?" Cloud asked, flatly. 

Elmyra turned away and took a breath before explaining. "Aerith is an Ancient. The sole survivor." 

_Flash_

Cloud stopped behind the others as they pursued Hojo through the Shin-Ra labs. A large chamber to his right caught his attention, and as Cloud turned he saw, above the door, a nameplate that read: JENOVA. 

"Jenova..." Cloud read under his breath as he took a step forward and peered into the small glass window in the upper half of the door. Inside - a headless female body, white, twisted, and with cords and metal devices burrowed into its skin. Cloud backed away, grabbed at his head as a high-pitched whine tore through his skull…

_Flash_

Standing on the edge of the freeway, Cloud took a breath and then turned back to Barret, Aerith, Red XIII, and Tifa. Past them, the hunk of steel that had been the Shin-Ra's creation named 'Motor Ball' laid in an unmoving heap. 

"Well, what do we do now?" Barret asked, checking his gun-arm for damages after the battle with the large robot. The others waited patiently for Cloud's response. 

"Sephiroth is alive. I…I have to settle the score." Painful memories of Nibelheim returned to him. Cloud closed his eyes and shook the thoughts. 

"And that'll save the planet?" Barret asked. His own goal was clearly in mind. 

"…Seems like it." Cloud responded. 

_Flash_

"…I used to want to be like Sephiroth, so I joined SOLDIER. After working with Sephiroth on several missions, we became friends." 

_Flash _

Lashing out in fury, Sephiroth hacked at the pod in front of him with his Masamune blade. Cloud could only jump away as the General attacked the steel Mako chambers that housed the otherworldly creatures. 

"…was I created this way too?" 

_Flash _

Cloud chased Sephiroth into the Jenova chamber and stopped as Sephiroth neared an armored figure that was linked to an intricate system of machinery and cables…Jenova. 

"My family! My hometown! How could you do this to them!?" Cloud screamed, the images of Nibelheim fresh in his head from moments ago. 

_Flash _

Sword held high, Sephiroth stood beside Jenova's exposed form after having removed the calamity's armor. 

"I am the chosen one! I have been chosen to be the leader of this planet!"

_Flash_

Cloud raised an eyebrow as Aerith leaned toward him, her hands behind her back and her face innocent. 

"You want to go on a date?" She asked with a grin. 

"What?" Cloud then remembered their conversation in Midgar…

"A DA-TE! Or haven't you ever gone on one?" 

_Flash _

In the gondola, Cloud watched Aerith quietly as the young woman gazed out the window and at the scenery of Gold Saucer. Deep inside, Cloud was happy to have had this chance, and for the first time he really studied her and appreciated the woman's presence. In the midst of everything that was happening, Cloud couldn't explain how her company alone made everything feel at ease inside of him…

"…First off, it bothered me how you looked exactly alike." Aerith said suddenly in a near-whisper. She was looking to the floor as if in thought. Cloud watched silently as the young woman spoke. "Two completely different people, but look exactly the same." Aerith grinned a bit and chuckled. "The way you walk, gesture…I think I must have seen him again, in you…" 

_Her old boyfriend from SOLDIER?_

Aerith shook her head lightly. "But you're different…" 

_Flash _

"You stupid fools. You have never even thought about it." Sephiroth said, looking at the wall on the inside of the Temple. "All the spirit energy of this Planet. All its wisdom…knowledge. I will meld with it all. I will become one with it…It will become one with me." 

Tseng raised an eyebrow and asked, "…you can do that?" 

Sephiroth lowered his arms, his form flickering as if he didn't exist. "The way…lies here." Laughing, the flickering form of Sephiroth turned to Tseng and said, "Only death awaits you all. But do not fear." Drawing Masamune, Sephiroth lunged forward and stabbed his blade into Tseng's abdomen. With the sound of sliding metal, Sephiroth dislodged the blade and watched Tseng fall to the ground, motionless. "For it is through death that a new spirit energy is born. Soon, you will live again as a part of me." 

_Flash _

Cloud watched as Sephiroth stood before a mural that was painted onto the wall of the Temple. The mural depicted something round approaching what appeared to be the Planet. In front of the mural, Sephiroth was trembling, his form flickering oddly as it seemed there were two of him in the same space, moving at different speeds as they turned to face Cloud. 

"Look well," He said. 

"At what!?" Cloud demanded. 

"At that which adds to the knowledge of…" Sephiroth raised his arms into the air, "I am becoming one with the Planet." Suddenly, a white flash blinded Cloud and the others, and when it disappeared Sephiroth was further down the corridor. 

Approaching Sephiroth, Cloud studied the man with confusion. Sephiroth sat on the floor, leaning against a small altar at the end of the corridor. His form still flickering, Sephiroth spoke, "Mother…it's almost time…soon…we will become one." 

_Flash _

"…What would happen if there was an injury that threatened the very life of the Planet? Think how much energy would be gathered!" Sephiroth pulled his sword out of the floor of the Temple, and his body flashed white as energy sparked about him like electricity. 

Laughing, Sephiroth continued, "And at the center of that injury, will be me. All that boundless energy will be mine." Sephiroth slashed his sword through the air as if to exemplify his statement. "By merging with all the energy of the Planet, I will become a new life form, a new existence. Melding with the Planet…I will cease to exist as I am now. Only to be reborn as a 'God' to rule over every soul." 

_Flash _

Looking down at Aerith's body, Cloud trembled and looked up at Sephiroth. "My fingers are tingling. My mouth is dry. My eyes are burning!" Tears jerked at his eyes, his entire form trembled, and anger boiled inside of him.

Sephiroth moved, lowering his arms from the same spot he had stood after killing Aerith. The silver-haired man watched Cloud, as if studying him. "What are you saying? Are you trying to tell me you have feelings too?" 

Anger reaching its boiling point, Cloud jumped to his feet and looked squarely at Sephiroth. "Of course! Who do you think I am!?" 

Sephiroth laughed as he watched Cloud's display of anger. "Stop acting as if you were sad." He said, waving off Cloud's feelings, "There's no need to act as though you're angry either." Suddenly, his form began to levitate as he began to rise into the air, looking down at Cloud as if superior. "Because, Cloud…you are…" 

_Flash _

"Because… you are…a puppet." 

_Flash _

Cloud stopped momentarily, as Zack caught his attention. Looking down at his friend, Cloud watched as Zack urged, "Cloud…kill Sephiroth…"

Cloud nodded and started up the stairs of the Nibelheim Reactor…

_Flash _

Standing at the end of the long table in the operation room inside of the Highwind, Cloud took a deep breath and looked at everyone that was sitting around. "Everyone…I'm sorry. I don't know what to say…"

"Don't say anything, Cloud." Red XIII said quickly. "All you've been doing is apologizing." 

Cloud nodded to Red XIII and looked down at his feet. As if ashamed, Cloud spoke, but continued to look at the ground. "I never was in SOLDIER. I made up the stories about what happened to me five years ago, about being in SOLDIER. I left my village looking for glory, but never made it in to SOLDIER…I was so ashamed of being so weak; then I heard this story from my friend Zack…and I created an illusion of myself made up of what I had seen in my life…and I continued to play the charade as if it were true." Cloud straightened and nodded, as if confirming his own explanation of what had happened. 

_Flash_

Cloud gripped his Buster Sword tightly, anticipation growing as he stared at Sephiroth, who was shirtless. The silver-haired man held Masamune at eye-level, his regular stance. Cloud glared at Sephiroth in hate, his fingers trembled as he couldn't wait to sink his blade into Sephiroth. Suddenly, Cloud felt a burst of energy and he leapt forward at Sephiroth. 

Sephiroth didn't budge – from arrogance, or awe, Cloud didn't know – as the blonde swordsman charged forward at Sephiroth with his body brimming with energy. Delivering blow after blow, Cloud screamed in rage as he cut rapidly and effortlessly into Sephiroth's body. Each strike carried an unbelievable amount of energy, an amount so large that not even Cloud knew of its origins. 

Fueled by his hate for Sephiroth, Cloud continued to hack away, until finally he jumped into the air and called upon all of his power within his being for one final strike. The energy gathered at the tip of his sword, and then Cloud crashed down upon Sephiroth. The man stumbled, clutched his bloody chest and fell to one knee. 

_Flash _

As they watched from the Highwind, all were in awe as the Lifestream rushed forth from the Planet, streaming from almost every location on the surface. Even as the Lifestream gathered, Midgar continued to crumble beneath the heat and ferocity of Meteor. 

As Meteor inched closer, the heat from its large surface spreading for miles and scorching the wildlife on the outside of Midgar, the Lifestream, too came closer to Midgar. A huge wave of green, moving toward Midgar and its attacker. Just then, the Lifestream veiled Midgar, completely covering the city, and then pushed itself up against Meteor…

_Flash _

Two years after Meteor, after Sephiroth, Cloud still felt unsure of himself…

And there he stood, before Rufus Shin-Ra and Rude, former Turk-turned-bodyguard. 

Rufus, under a white blanket of some kind, began to explain his situation. "The day of the explosion…" 

But Cloud wanted none of it. "What do you want?" 

"I managed to get out -"

"Who were the guys that attacked me?

"-…before it colla--"

"I'm leaving." Rufus hushed, and Cloud stared, annoyed, at the young former president. 

"We need your assistance, Cloud." 

_Flash _

"What's this stuff about...'mother'?" Cloud asked, as he stopped before exiting Rufus' Healin home. 

"Why, did Kadaj say something to you?" Rufus asked, somewhat cheekily. Rufus raised his head, "No surprise." 

_Flash _

"Weren't there…some kids living with you?" Rude asked, as he and Reno stood at the door of Denzel and Marlene's room. Tifa lay behind Cloud on a bed, still sleeping, resting after her fight with Kadaj's accomplice. Cloud stared blankly. 

"'Cause they ain't here." Reno announced. 

Cloud looked to the floor quietly. 

_Flash _

"You have Geostigma, don't you?" Tifa asked, as Cloud sat on the bed across from her. She had just woken, and was sitting on the edge of her bed, looking, with worried eyes at Cloud. "You're going to give up and die. Is that it?" 

Cloud didn't answer, only stared at the woman blankly. 

"So it is…" Tifa mumbled, turning away from Cloud and pulling her legs up onto the bed. 

"There's no cure." Cloud said quietly, trying to make an excuse for his actions.

_Flash_

Looking at the floor, Cloud felt as if he were to be blamed for everything. Not just Denzel and Marlene's disappearance, but for what had happened in the past, too. "Tifa…I'm not fit to help anyone. Not my family. Not my friends…nobody." 

_Flash _

Standing in the middle of a field of bright flowers, Cloud felt a presence behind him. He didn't turn, but stared out at the field. Then, the person behind him spoke. 

"So…why did you come?" 

_Aerith…_

"I think…I wanna' be forgiven." Cloud nodded and started to raise his head. "More than anything." 

"By who?" Aerith asked. 

Cloud turned to face her…but it was only his imagination. 

_Flash _

"Are sins ever forgiven?" Cloud asked, watching Marlene beneath Vincent's cape. 

"I've never tried." Vincent responded flatly. 

"You mean…never tried…" Cloud stared at the ground, his own emotions torturing him on the inside. Looking up, Cloud called, "Marlene, let's go." As the young girl ran from beneath Vincent's cape and toward Cloud, the blonde swordsman said, "Well, I'm gonna' try." 

_Flash _

Leaping down toward Kadaj's falling body, Cloud was determined to catch up with him before the Jenova cells took affect and…

Cloud's sword slammed down onto something – hard – as a flash of green erupted and blinded Cloud. Dust billowed up around Cloud as the metal structure beneath his opponents feet caved in under the pressure. 

"Good to see you, Cloud." 

When Cloud could see again, he met the cat-like, pale-green eyes of Sephiroth. 

_Flash _

As Cloud caught First Tsurugi in his hand – the other pieces were sticking out of the ground around him – the blonde swordsman looked up into the sky and watched Sephiroth's stunned form hover in the air. "Stay where you belong. In my memories."

The dark Clouds above Sephiroth opened, to reveal the golden sky once more, as Sephiroth glared down at Cloud and said, "I will…never be e memory." Just as a black-feathered wing sprouted from his back and covered his form. 

_Flash _

"It's all coming together…" Vincent mumbled. "The Jenova Symbiote's that we fought could very well have been the product of a Geostigma-afflicted soul escaping – or being forced out of – the Lifestream. As we know, Geostigma is – was – a result of Jenova cells gaining access to the human body. So, if Jenova Cells gain access to the Lifestream via a Geostigma-afflicted person…what would be the outcome?" 

_Flash_

"Things aren't looking good here, either. Red thinks that the Lifestream here has released Jenova Cells, and their killing all of the plants and vegetation." 

_Flash_

Reeve nodded. "I couldn't help but notice the gorge just outside the Ranch…Cloud, if this involves Jenova, you will have to tell me more." Cloud nodded understandingly and the two started off away from the others so that Cloud could enlighten Reeve in private. 

As they walked, Cloud explained the best he could. "Vincent, Red XIII, and I have reason to believe that those who died from Geostigma somehow carried the Jenova Cells with them after death." Cloud did not have to explain the connection between Geostigma and Jenova to Reeve, as he was already well informed. "As a result, Jenova – who is an unwelcome visitor in the Lifestream itself – is being rejected from the Lifestream and is being excreted wherever there is a hole." 

Reeve was rubbing his goatee with his fingers delicately, lost in thought. "It would appear that the Jenova Cells alone – in an un-organized state – would not have any affect on the balance of the Lifestream." 

Cloud nodded. "But that's where _he _comes in…" 

Reeve stopped, and looked sharply at Cloud. "You mean…Sephiroth?" 

"…If it is possible for Sephiroth to remain in a bodily state even after his death, he may be stirring the Cells into action – specifically to rebel against the Lifestream and escape it. In fact, as long as his mind is somehow present, the Jenova Cells may still abide to his will, even if Sephiroth is not fully present in the Lifestream itself." 

_Flash_

"_The last thoughts of Geostigma's dead. Those remnants will join the Lifestream and girdle the Planet…choking it, corroding it…" _

Sephiroth's words from only a few days before were fresh in Cloud's mind. "Damn…it's coming together now…" 

"What is?" 

"What Sephiroth said to me…He said that Geostigma's dead would join the Lifestream and surround the Planet and choke it and corrode it…" Cloud felt a burst of anger shoot through him. "What happened in Mideel, the dying of the plants is what Sephiroth meant." 

"Do you fear that worse may come?" Reeve asked, surprised by Cloud's revelation. 

"If Sephiroth can do that to the surface of the planet…what will he do to the inside?" Cloud was staring at the ground blankly. 

Reeve's eyes went wide. "He'll kill the Planet from the inside-out! Gods! But what would he do then!?" 

"_What I want, Cloud…is to sail the darkness of the cosmos with this planet as my vessel…just as my mother did long ago. Then one day we'll find a new planet…and on its soil we'll create a shining future."_

"_What about this planet?" _

"_Well, that's up to you, Cloud." _

"He mentioned using the Planet as his vessel to move through the universe once it was dead…Then he said, 'We'll find a new planet…and on its soil we'll create a shining future.' It didn't make much sense at the time, but now…"

_Flash_

Reeve shrugged. "A huge impact would be needed to knock the Planet off of its natural course, so I can't give a good answer…what I don't understand is why would Sephiroth wait until after you defeated him the second time to start his plan? You killed him once in the North Crater, why wouldn't he have just done everything quietly as soon as he entered the Lifestream?" 

Cloud laughed. "Because that is not Sephiroth's manner. He wants this to be a game, and he wants us to know what he is doing so that we can try to stop him and he can test his own strength. I questioned the fate of this planet, and he replied by saying that its fate was up to me." 

"I just can't grasp that concept, Cloud. Sephiroth was defeated twice by you, why would he even try again? He's no match for you, apparently." 

Cloud laughed response to Reeve's words. "Don't fool yourself, Reeve. When I fought Sephiroth in Midgar three days ago, he was strong, but I knew that he wasn't using his full strength. Besides, what I fought in Midgar was only a shadow of Sephiroth's real self, he was only partially there when his strength was taken into account." Cloud looked off into the sky and sighed. "When we all fought with him in the Northern Crater, I doubt that he was fighting his hardest there, either. Sure he was strong, but he may have allowed us to defeat him for the sole purpose of getting his soul into the Lifestream so that he could initiate this plan that we are only discovering today." 

_Flash_

Barret, Cid, Yuffie, Tifa, Red XIII, Vincent, Reeve, even the Turk's and Rufus – they were all Cloud's friends in one definition of the word or another. Some were not as close as others, but they were still friends nonetheless. "There's not a thing I don't cherish…" He whispered, reminiscent of the last moment of Sephiroth and his battle atop the Shin-Ra building. 

Cloud was startled as Tifa's once-limp hand took on the qualities of a steel vise. When he looked down, her eyes were wide open and staring directly at Cloud, unwavering in their gaze. But there was something wrong. No longer were her eyes that of a soft, warm, brown – no, now they burned with Mako, the same color as Sephiroth's. Suddenly her grip on Cloud's hand tightened to a painful level that made Cloud cringe and her other hand shot up and seized Cloud by the collar. With strength that did not belong to her, Tifa yanked Cloud down to her face and spoke in a voice much deeper than her own. 

"Then I'll just have to…" She started, her voice echoing Sephiroth's own, "…take everything away from you, Cloud." Her words – or rather, the words of someone inside of her – were referring to what Cloud had said about not having one thing that he did not cherish. By now, everyone was watching these strange events as they unraveled before them.

Cloud's heart skipped a beat and his breath came and left in a hurry. "_Sephiroth_." Tifa's lips twisted into a smirk that eerily mirrored Sephiroth's own, and then Tifa gasped as her lungs were drained of air. Simultaneously, the Mako-color in her eyes vanished and she let go of Cloud's collar and hand and her body wrenched as she fell back to the floor and gasped for breath.

_Flash _

"Then why me? Why the world?" Cloud demanded. 

Sephiroth's smirk returned. "The world…because it is what my mother would want," He replied, raising his hands from his sides and staring up at the ceiling. Sephiroth closed his eyes as he spoke. "she came to this Planet, whether by accident or purpose it does not matter, and hated it. It is my will to carry out her own." 

"You're insane! Jenova was an alien life form that lived long ago!" 

Sephiroth looked back down at Cloud and laughed. "And so her legacy still lives on inside of me…" 

"Then why me? Why do you target me? What makes you think that I'm stopping you from destroying the Planet?" 

Sephiroth grinned again. "Because there are things you love, Cloud. Hopes, dreams, family, friends – if I destroy the Planet, all of those things will be taken away from you. I am sure that you'll be there every step of the way, Cloud, to this Planet's demise…and I'll make sure to stay one step ahead the entire time." 

_Flash_

"The Planet is a fool." Sephiroth started, turning and looking into the Lifestream. "By embracing the souls of Geostigma's dead, it gathered an incredible surplus of Jenova cells. When my body failed me, my soul did not completely diminish; my will continued to subsist. My will – my desire for the destruction of this Planet – was so powerful that I overpowered the Jenova cells without much effort. I stimulated them, caused them to disrupt the Lifestream. In days, the Lifestream was beset with my mother's remains...The Planet suffered, and so it sought to rid itself of the Jenova cells, filtering the Geostigma-inflicted souls from those that were clean."

_Flash_

Sephiroth turned around, and suddenly the air around him rippled from the heat that emitted from his body. Similar waves rose up from the Lifestream, and soon green lights rose up out of the Lifestream. Each light had a tail, like a miniature meteor, and each glowed bright as the sun, casting the entire room into a green hue. Sephiroth curled his hands into fists, and stuck out his chest. "In such an event as this, the liberated souls of the dead travel to whatever other source of life around them, thus continuing the cycle of life in another form." The heat emitting from Sephiroth's body grew into what seemed to be _flames_ as the air around him moved as such. His voice grew louder with each passing word, until it dominated every other sound within the cavern. "But – now, these souls will attract to whatever is the most powerful. Under the influence of my mother, they take on the traits of Jenova and are drawn to the most powerful life source in the immediate area – me." 

Just then, all of the millions of spirits moved as one toward Sephiroth, attracted to him like a magnet. On contact, the spirits seemed to have been absorbed into Sephiroth's being. Every passing second saw hundreds of them being absorbed into Sephiroth, and the others could only watch helplessly. "Witness it – Jenova's Reunion! My Rebirth! As one, my mother and I will dominate this world! Every creature will fall to our power! In time, the Planet will wither from within, and as it dies, it will emit more life energy in an attempt to save itself! But I will be there to absorb every drop of that energy, and I will only grow stronger, until this Planet ceases to exist, and even then, as the denizens of this Planet breathe their last, I will absorb their energy and rise into the ranks of a god!" 

_Flash_

. "Once this Planet dies, I will use it as my vessel – I will sail through the cosmos in search of a new planet in which to start a new future. I will be god amongst the inhabitants of that new planet, and my mother will stand beside me as we reign for the remainder of time…"

"What about this Planet? What will you do with it?" Tifa demanded, anger boiling up inside of her. 

Sephiroth laughed. "I will abandon it – and it will be nothing more than another object hovering in the abyss of space." 

"And what if we stop you?" Cloud asked, narrowing his eyes at Sephiroth. "What makes you so sure that you'll be successful this time?" 

Sephiroth laughed again, and looked around, at the millions of souls that floated through the room, encircling him. "With this kind of power, Cloud, I ask you this: what do you think there is on this Planet that can stop me?" 

_Flash_

. "...I have done it Cloud – I have become a new life form, a new _existence._" Sephiroth hissed, his eyes wild and filled with power. Cloud could only glare up at the crazed man, as he stepped away from Cloud and removed the tip of his sword from Cloud's neck. 

"In mere days, this Planet will die…During its ruin, the Planet will gather energy in hopes of healing the decay that has sprouted from Mideel, but the decay will not halt, and the Planet will continue its fruitless attempts at healing itself, only bringing its own death upon itself even faster as it emits its Lifeblood, and I collect it, becoming even stronger than I am now…" 

_Flash_

Slowly, Cloud looked over to Tifa and grabbed her hand in his own. "Tifa…" Cloud swallowed hard and sat up to meet her face levelly. "I…can't love you back…not in the way that you love me…" 

"Why?" Tifa questioned in a whisper, "Didn't you just hear what I said?" 

Cloud nodded. "Yes…but Sephiroth…he would kill you…" 

_Flash_

"I love you, Cloud." Tifa said in a whisper. 

Cloud looked into Tifa's eyes for several seconds before finally admitting what he had been holding back. "I love you, too." 

_Flash _

"Cloud…" 

Cloud turned and met with the eyes of the Turk leader, Tseng. "…Tseng?" The man looked bothered. "What is it?" 

"Junon – it's been leveled." 

_Flash_

"Look…Cloud, I know you're worried about Sephiroth destroying the Planet and all that, but if Sephiroth doesn't want to be found, he's not going to be found. Let's just get you back to Edge so that you can rest up…and I'm sure as shit ready to go back to Shera and relax in my house after all the shit we've been through in the last couple of days." Cid, despite having just finished one, pulled out another cigarette from within the metal case that he kept them stored. Lighting up, Cid added, "Anyways, the W.R.O. will probably be right on top of things if Sephiroth pops up, I'm sure of it. Damn organization has people stationed in places we wouldn't even think to look."

_Flash_

"_Right. Sephiroth's will is the only thing stirring the remaining Jenova cells into action. Without Sephiroth, these Jenova cells are nothing…and if we take him out of the equation, the Planet certainly won't have a problem ridding itself of the contamination and the Jenova cells will eventually die without a host to live off of." _

"Easier said than done…" Cloud commented dryly, "You seen it yourself, Tseng, Sephiroth's more powerful than ever." 

_Flash_

"_Cloud, I'm not wholly sure of your situation, but what I do know is that your friends need you more than ever right now. Whatever reason you have for not coming…I'm sure that one day won't hurt."_

It was Cloud's turn to sigh now, and he leaned forward on the couch and ran a hand through his spiky blond hair. "…I'll be there." He managed to say, and somehow it felt as if the words had just barely escaped his throat, as if he had been choked while talking. 

"_Good, Cloud. I will see you soon, then." _

_Flash_

The swordsman stumbled back out of the bar as Tifa leapt into his arms, but quickly caught his balance as Tifa looked down at him, misty-eyed. "You came back…" She whispered. 

Cloud nodded. "I can't run forever, I guess…" 

_Flash_

Like an explosion inside his head, images pounded into his brain relentlessly. The swordsman's eyes rolled into his skull, and Cloud was once again reliving his painful past via a string of images that were being fed into his mind by some unknown force. 

Suddenly, the images halted and a picture of Sephiroth standing above all of Cloud's dead friends took hold of him and made Cloud scream out in rage.

Just then, the image faded, Vincent's hand retreated from Cloud's shoulder, and Cloud regained control of his body. It was then that Vincent removed Cerberus from its holster and jammed its barrels into Cloud's forehead. "…Now I can kill you all." It was Sephiroth's voice, not Vincent's, which came from the faux-Vincent's mouth. 

_Flash_

"You're done, Sephiroth." Cloud said, "You're weakening, and you know it." 

At this, Sephiroth smirked. His eyes flashed evilly as his body emitted a green glow. "This is only the beginning, Cloud."

_Flash_

"He's made entirely of Jenova cells, Cloud," Vincent said with a grimace as his wound healed from being stabbed, "His bones, his skin – everything is Jenova cells. Everything but his mind, that is…Sephiroth is controlling – influencing – the Jenova cells into doing his work, and in turn taking his form to carry the deeds out with. Basically, he is indestructible…all of that power he gained in the Northern Crater didn't give him the regeneration ability – the Jenova cells did that – but in turn the Jenova cells that make up this representation of Sephiroth have grown incredibly strong." 

Sephiroth grinned widely as his fresh wound closed. "Precisely…this body is indestructible and my real body lays dormant in the Lifestream. I see no reason to mar it with wounds from battle…and now…" Sephiroth's body glowed once more, and the glow intensified with each passing second. "You will witness that power…"

_Flash_

"You will suffer, Cloud, before I kill you." Sephiroth raised the children slightly higher into the air as they kicked, flailed, screamed, and cried. "I'll start…with these two." Sephiroth stated as he turned away from Cloud and stepped through a wall of flames, out of Cloud's sight. It was scarily similar to that night in Nibelheim…when Cloud watched Sephiroth walk away through the flames. 

_Flash_

"You'll never win, Cloud." Sephiroth said as the two swordsman's blades locked together and Cloud pushed up against Sephiroth. Their faces were just inches apart. 

Grabbing the blade that was still lodged in Sephiroth's chest, Cloud twisted it before pulling it out and pulling away from Sephiroth. 

_Flash_

"You were always a failure, Cloud." Sephiroth hissed, just before raising his blade and lashing out in a final energy-shrouded strike that caught Cloud across the chest, deeper than the other minor cuts that he had suffered earlier in the battle. Blood sprayed from the wound and Cloud's body spiraled down to the ground. His face hit the asphalt, but he didn't feel any pain – only his heart beating rapidly in his chest and his raspy breaths. 

Through the flames that had engulfed the street Cloud watched Sephiroth walk away through the flames, as Cloud's world faded to black…

_Flash_

"_You've been cutting it pretty close, lately, Cloud." _

"…who…?"

"_Haha, yeah, Cloud, I think it's time for you to take a break, man."_

"Take…a break?"

"_But you just don't rest, do you?" _

"…I…" 

"_He's always been stubborn – well, for as long as I've know him, at least." _

"_Oh, he's stubborn alright, I would know." _

"…You…remember?" 

"_Hey, why don't you look at us while we're talking to you, Cloud?" _

Cloud opened his eyes and stared out into the white abyss before him. "…is…this…" Speechless, Cloud could only gaze at the endless white space around him. "Is this the Lifestream?" 

"Sure is." 

Cloud spun around quickly to face whoever had spoken. He was speechless when he laid eyes upon the forms of Zack Fair and Aerith Gainsborough, who stood several feet from him. 

Zack smirked and uncrossed his arms. "What's wrong, Cloud, cat got your tongue?" 

Cloud swallowed hard. "You're…both…alive?" 

Zack grinned and looked at Aerith. "He's not having an easy time adjusting." 

Aerith grinned back. "Cloud, we're in the _Lifestream_." 

Cloud looked around. "But…doesn't that mean that I'm…" 

"Dead?" Zack shrugged a bit. "Guess it does." 

Cloud looked down at his feet which stood upon a white surface. The space he stood on didn't begin, nor end. It just was. "But…Sephiroth…he's…still alive." 

Aerith stepped forward. "And that's why _you _can't give up." 

Zack stepped forward, too, and put a hand out as if wanting a handshake. "Yeah, I think you've got what it takes to put him away for good. You might not have made SOLDIER, but I bet you would've been the best." 

Cloud looked into Zack's eyes for a long time. The man no longer had the Mako-enhanced pupils that all SOLDIER's possessed. Instead, his eyes were a normal brown – back to the way they were supposed to be. Hearing those words from Zack's mouth meant more to Cloud than he had ever thought. In so many ways, Zack had been Cloud's inspiration as he struggled to push his way up through the ranks of Shin-Ra's military. Zack had been the closest Cloud had ever gotten to being a SOLDIER…

Taking Zack's hand, Cloud shook it firmly – and then a surge of energy filled Cloud's body as Zack's form glowed. The white-aura that encased Zack's form was so bright that Cloud had to look away. 

"Cloud…" 

Turning back, Cloud saw Aerith beside Zack. "Aerith…I…" 

Aerith shook her head and stepped toward Cloud. "Don't say that you're sorry, Cloud." Aerith grinned widely, her eyes soft and happy. "I'm happier here than I've ever been, Cloud. Looking over you and everyone else, watching you all live…It makes me more joyful than you could ever imagine." Laying a hand on Cloud's shoulder, Aerith said, "Now, make me proud and go save the world." Another surge of power entered Cloud's body and the bright white glow around Zack and Aerith's body expanded and blinded Cloud. 

The next second, Cloud took a deep, quick breath – inhaling life back into his previously dead body. The real world came back to Cloud, and for a moment he wasn't sure of what was had happened. The heat of the flames that were consuming the street came back to Cloud, and then he remembered Sephiroth. 

_Cloud, get up and fight!_

Cloud listened to the voice in his head and pushed himself up off of the street, taking his sword as he stood to his feet. Staring at the wall of flames in front of him, Cloud narrowed his eyes as he remembered Sephiroth walking away through them. For a moment, Cloud looked back and saw his comrades a distance away from him. They weren't looking good, but weren't dead, either. 

Gripping First Tsurugi tight, Cloud stepped through the flames. 

On the other side, Cloud spotted Sephiroth several meters away, his form glowing bright with the spirit energy he had stolen from the planet. The man was walking slowly along the street, shoulders bouncing in laughter. Cloud took a step forward, and at the same time imagined himself right in front of Sephiroth – and then Cloud found that his next step took him to the place that he had thought of in his mind, placing him directly in front of Sephiroth. 

The silver-haired man's eyes widened as he stared in disbelief at Cloud. "You were dead." 

Cloud narrowed his eyes and stared directly into Sephiroth's cat-like eyes, barely able to understand what had just happened. The two men stood a foot apart from one another; the tension between them could have been cut with a knife. The aura around Sephiroth dissipated and Cloud looked past Sephiroth and through the flames to where AVALANCHE laid sprawled out on the street. 

"This is my family, my city – this is _my Planet_." Cloud stepped back enough so that he could raise First Tsurugi with both hands and then said, "And _no one_ is going to take _anything_ from me." Cloud's form glowed white as he spoke, and Sephiroth also took a step back and then held his hand out in the air as Masamune materialized.

"And who is going to stop _me_?" Sephiroth asked, grinning. 

The aura around Cloud grew in intensity, and he took an offensive stance. "Me." Cloud responded, narrowing his eyes. "No matter how many times you come back, Sephiroth, I'll be waiting. And I'll stop you each and every time…" 

Sephiroth's grin widened and his form began to glow with the energy he had stolen from the Planet. Lifting his sword to eye-level, holding the blade horizontally in his traditional stance, Sephiroth narrowed his eyes and said: "Then, let's end all of this." 


	16. Chapter 16

**Final Fantasy VII**

**Rebirth**

A/N: Alright…big fight coming up…Cloud versus Sephiroth. Who will come out victorious? Read on! 

**Chapter XVII**

As their swords clashed, an explosion of energy rocked the ground and cracked the asphalt beneath their feet. The two former allies pushed their weight against their opponent's blade, and their faces came inches from one another. Sephiroth was smirking, as Cloud scowled and pushed against Sephiroth, hoping to overpower the ex-General.

It was Sephiroth who broke the contact as he jumped backwards and then leapt up into the air, still facing Cloud as he ascended. Cloud took three running steps before launching himself into the air and met Sephiroth with a flurry of slashes. 

Lighting up the sky with each trade of blows, the energy that emitted from their clashing swords could be seen from miles away. Their power so evenly matched, that neither men faltered when the exchange of energy exploded between their swords. 

Swinging First Tsurugi diagonally, Cloud yelled, "This ends now!" 

Sephiroth brought his sword up, and energy exploded as the two swords crashed into one another. "Only if you can best me, Cloud." Sephiroth replied. "Let me remind you of how powerful I am!" 

For the split second that Sephiroth's body glowed, Cloud had time to brace himself for the wave of spirit energy that smashed into him and sent him flying back down to Edge. Landing in a crouch on a rooftop, Cloud stood quickly and gazed into the night sky. Cloud held his blade behind him as the brim of the sword glowed in a golden light, his eyes searching for Sephiroth in the air. 

_Behind you!_

Cloud didn't question the voice in his head as he spun and lashed out with First Tsurugi. Again, he and Sephiroth's blades met in an explosion of energy, but this time Cloud caught Sephiroth off of his guard and sent the silver-haired man stumbling backwards, as the momentum from Cloud's swing overpowered Sephiroth's own.

Regaining his balance, Sephiroth narrowed his eyes and asked, "You have found new power, once again. Where do you keep getting this power?" 

Cloud only grinned and started forward in pounding footsteps. 

Trading several more blows, each of Cloud's sent Sephiroth stumbling backwards across the roof as the man was barely able to match each strike that came with surprising speed and power. Suddenly, Sephiroth lost his footing and Cloud caught the man across the chest with two quick slashes that made Sephiroth spin around and fall into the handrails that lined the rooftops edge. 

_Yeah, you're fighting like a SOLDIER, now!_

Not slowing down, Cloud chose to not dwell on the origin of the voice and charged forward and then leapt and delivered a dropkick to Sephiroth's back that sent the man through the rails. Grasping the edge of one of the broken rails, Cloud stopped himself from falling over the edge also and quickly swung himself back up onto the rooftop as he called on the energy inside of him for an attack to follow through with. 

Form glowing, Cloud swung his blade around over his head as the clouds above him opened up and a volley of meteors exploded out of thin air and crashed down into Sephiroth's falling form. The meteors pounded Sephiroth down to the ground and through it, each one falling with a ton of weight behind it. As the barrage of meteors ended, Cloud leapt into the air and raised First Tsurugi over his head. A burst of energy rocketed Cloud down toward the street where Sephiroth lay in the center of a large crater, sword glowing bright as he pointed it out in front of him. 

_Move!_

Again, Cloud heeded the voice's warning although he didn't know what to expect. Rolling to the right, Cloud barreled out of the way just as Sephiroth soared from the crater and slashed through the air where Cloud would have been. Landing on the street, Cloud looking up and watched Sephiroth land on another rooftop. 

"We have an audience, Cloud." Sephiroth observed. 

Looking about, Cloud realized that the street was lined with the curious citizens of Edge. _Damn it! _"MOVE!" Cloud yelled to the people, attempting to warn them of the danger. "You're not safe!" 

Laughing, Sephiroth's form glowed green once again. The electricity that crackled off of him danced about in a tantalizing ballet. "Ah – you're worried about their safety…" Sephiroth's voice was malicious as he raised a hand. "Then save them!" 

_You can do it, Cloud. _

As a beam of energy exploded from Sephiroth's palm, Cloud leapt forward and plunged First Tsurugi into it. On contact, Cloud unconsciously unleashed an explosion of his own energy that shook the beam and swung its momentum back towards its sender. The energy rocketed back toward Sephiroth and tore the entire front half of the building's roof off, taking Sephiroth with it. 

Cloud followed close behind, appearing from the ensuing cloud of dust, as Sephiroth's body was thrown into the air by the explosion of his own power. 

"We end this now!" Cloud yelled as his form glowed white once again, and the aura encased him like a cocoon. Speeding up toward Sephiroth like a white missile, Cloud's glowing form smashed into Sephiroth, and the tip of his sword appeared from the blinding aura to stab into Sephiroth's abdomen. Sephiroth lurched, his face twisting in surprise. Cloud spun around in a full circle and freed his blade of Sephiroth's body as he threw Sephiroth higher still, and then followed the man into the air. Cloud caught up quickly and grabbed Sephiroth by the collar of his coat. 

"You're done, Sephiroth!" Cloud exclaimed as he pushed Sephiroth away and grasped First Tsurugi with both hands and focusing his energy to his blade. Suddenly, Cloud's arms seemed to work by themselves as he delivered lightning-fast strikes with First Tsurugi. Each strike carried a wave of energy behind it, thus smashing into Sephiroth and knocking the man higher into the air. Cloud followed, locked onto his target with merciless accuracy as he delivered blow after blow, each one becoming more intense than the last. 

Cloud stopped abruptly, and pulled himself away from the mutilated Sephiroth. For the few seconds that Cloud gathered energy, his form glowing white-hot, his sword searing with power, Sephiroth could only watch in awe as Cloud readied his final strike. Then, in a burst of white light, Cloud rocketed forward and struck out with Sephiroth in a left-to-right slash that exploded in a bright flash and sent the man tumbling back down to earth, hundreds of feet below. 

Breathing in heavy gasps after his attack, Cloud watched Sephiroth's form slowly fall back towards the ground. Somehow, Cloud was levitating in mid-air, but he didn't mind it as he slowly recovered a normal rate of breathing and heartbeat. "It's…done…" Cloud said, watching Sephiroth's limp body fall. 

_Cloud, this isn't the end!_

"…Zack?" Cloud asked, finally, curious of the voice's origin. 

_Cloud, SEPHIROTH'S NOT DEAD!_

Just as the voice passed through Cloud's head, Sephiroth's body exploded into a black mist of Jenova Cells. Suddenly, there was a horrible shriek – that which came from the Planet's innards. Cloud winced at the noise, as the Jenova cells scrambled about in what might have been pain. 

_Cloud, we can't stop him! SEPHIROTH IS COMING!_

Cloud heeded the words of Aerith and Zack as they simultaneously yelled their warning through his mind. In that moment, a shaft of green erupted in the far off distance, and then another, a third, and then a fourth exploded just a few blocks from Cloud's position. Before long, dozens of these green shafts had appeared in the distant sky. 

"Lifestream!?"

Just then, a rush of Lifestream erupted several yards away from Cloud, and from it a glimmer shot up into the air. 

_Sephiroth…_Cloud thought, as he watched the glimmer halt in mid-air. Unexpectedly, the Lifestream that had erupted in Edge, and on the outskirts of the city, began swaying toward the glimmer - as if it were calling the Lifestream to it. 

_Cloud, Sephiroth escaped the Lifestream! We'll try holding it back, but his will is very strong! He's taking the energy of the Planet, Cloud! You have to stop him!_

Cloud nodded as Aerith's voice entered his mind. Gripping First Tsurugi, Cloud looked up to the glimmering light and the energy that was gathering around it. By now, the spirit energy had formed a large aura around the glimmer that was Sephiroth's body, as the Lifestream appeared to be feeding him with power. 

Calling upon the power Aerith and Zack had granted him, Cloud soared up into the sky with as little as the thought of doing so. He closed in quickly, the aura growing larger by the second…Thrusting First Tsurugi out in front of him, Cloud's body glowed white again, and the energy gathered at the tip of his sword. 

_I can't fail! The whole Planet's depending on me!_

Just then, Cloud smashed into the aura, and the green energy opened up to him like water. Green flew past him in a blur, and ahead of him, Cloud could see Sephiroth. The man's body was suspended in the air, motionless, shirtless, and scarred with wounds Cloud had left him with two years ago in the Northern Crater. Tendrils of Lifestream were stuck in every inch of the mans body, connected to him like wires that fed Sephiroth with infinite power. 

_So, this is his real body…it was left in the same state for years…_

As Cloud neared Sephiroth, Sephiroth's eyes suddenly opened and his head snapped up to face his former ally. A sly grin appeared on Sephiroth's face, and he threw an arm out, what followed was a wave of energy that crested outward and smashed into Cloud with such force that it killed all of Cloud's momentum and sent the blonde-haired swordsman flying backwards and back out of the aura of Lifestream. 

The energy wave seemed to stay attached to Cloud, as the hairs on his arms began to burn and his body was forced further away from Sephiroth still. Finally, Cloud escaped the energy as he rolled to the right and the beam roared past him and rocketed far off into the heavens. Staring back down at where Sephiroth was encased in the green aura hundreds of feet below, Cloud watched as the aura was condensing, being sucked into Sephiroth's being like a vacuum. 

Then, all at once, the energy completely disappeared, and Sephiroth's form was left where it all had been. A wicked laugh entered Cloud's skull, and Sephiroth's voice echoed in Cloud's mind. "_CLOUD! WITNESS THE POWER OF A GOD!" _

In the blink of an eye, Cloud doubled-over as Sephiroth appeared in front of him and smashed a hand into Cloud's abdomen, then his back, and then a fist buried itself into Cloud's jaw. Following that, a sword bit into Cloud's side, his throat was grabbed, and he was thrust downwards through the air. All of it happened so fast that Cloud felt the pain all at once, as if it had happened all in the same moment. 

_We've stopped the Lifestream from giving him any more power, now you have to finish him! _

Cloud flipped in midair, and caught himself from falling further. Before Cloud could locate Sephiroth, a hand reached out and grabbed Cloud's head, and Cloud trembled in pain as he screamed and his world went black once again. 

When Cloud opened his eyes, the world around him had changed dramatically. The buildings all around had crumbled into piles of debris, vehicles were rusted hunks of useless metal, and the streets were cracked, with weeds growing up on the asphalt from years of the street never being used. The sky itself was clouded, the true color of the clouds unknown due to a constant brown dust that tinted the air a rust-color. The sun just barely pierced the thick Clouds above, casting random shafts of light onto the decayed streets of Edge. 

"…What is this?" 

_This, Cloud, is your world in several days…_

Cloud grimaced as he looked about. "Sephiroth…do you really think that destroying this Planet will bring you joy?" 

_As my vessel, this Planet will lead me to my ultimate joy – my purpose in life…to rule over the universe as the one supreme being._

Scowling, Cloud continued to search for Sephiroth as the man's voice pierced his brain. "This Planet isn't yours for the taking, Sephiroth." 

_Hahaha…hahahaha! Cloud, whatever I want in this universe can be mine if I will it! _

"…And what if you're stopped?" 

_Nothing can stop me, Cloud…Can't you see that? With the power of an entire Planet…hahahaha…_

"Then show yourself, Sephiroth! Let me be the one to stop you!" Cloud screamed, hefting First Tsurugi as he continued to search for Sephiroth in the imaginary world that Sephiroth had created. 

Suddenly, there was a flicker, and a blanket of black feathers appeared before Cloud. Slowly, the feathers moved, and opened to reveal Sephiroth's form beneath. Being shirtless, the only difference in Sephiroth's appearance that Cloud could see was the single, large, black-feathered wing that had sprouted from his back, and the muscles that had bulged on his body. Sephiroth's eyes glowed with such intensity that it was hard to look away from their gaze. No longer had his eyes retained the bright glow of Mako that all SOLDIER's possessed, but now it contained that bright glow, multiplied a thousand times. 

"Ahahaha…it is truly magnificent, isn't it, Cloud?"Sephiroth asked, raising his arms to emphasize the destroyed surroundings. 

"Your thirst for power…it's sickening…" Cloud replied with a glare. 

Smirking, Sephiroth waved a hand, and Masamune appeared in his grip. "This, Cloud…is the beginning of the end. Of this world, and of you – this is the beginning of the end for everything you know!" 

In a flash, Sephiroth leapt forward and smashed the flat of his blade into Cloud's chest. The force behind the blow sent Cloud spiraling through the air and into a nearby eroded wall. The weak concrete crumbled beneath Cloud's weight as he smashed through it. He landed harshly, among various other debris in a decayed building with no roof. Sections of the walls were missing, and through one opening Sephiroth appeared to mock Cloud. 

"The strength of a Planet, all confined within one body…" Sephiroth's shoulders began jumping in laughter as he stood there, seemingly unworried about Cloud, and clearly not seeing the blonde as a threat. "Just think when I drain the rest of the Lifestream…" 

Climbing to his feet, Cloud lifted First Tsurugi and charged forward. As he swung at Sephiroth, the man vanished at the last second and Cloud split the air where Sephiroth had been standing. Laughter behind Cloud called the swordsman to spin around and slash, only to have Sephiroth vanish once again. From the corner of his eye, Cloud spotted movement and lashed out. First Tsurugi bit into a wall, but nothing else. 

Cursing, Cloud pulled the large sword from the wall – and stumbled to the right as he was struck in the head by the butt of Sephiroth's blade. Sephiroth followed up by seizing Cloud's arm and throwing the man face-first into a wall and through it. Cloud fell out onto the street on the other side of the wall and quickly rolled to his feet. At that moment, Sephiroth delivered an uppercut that sent Cloud stumbling backwards and into a twisted heap of steel that had at one time been a vehicle. 

Before Cloud could react, Sephiroth's blade impaled him through the shoulder and pinned Cloud to the metal structure behind him. 

"Does this seem familiar, Cloud?" Sephiroth queried, a sly grin spreading on his lips. "It's too bad that you won't be able to see your friends suffer…I looked forward to killing them in front of you…" 

Grasping Sephiroth's blade, Cloud dislodged the sword and jumped forward to slash Sephiroth – only to miss as Sephiroth stepped to the side, spun, and sliced Cloud's back with Masamune. Cloud stumbled a few steps before spinning around to meet a barrage of slashes from Sephiroth. Cloud matched each strike, but with each parry grew somewhat weaker under the tremendous power behind each blow. 

Finally, Sephiroth pounded Cloud's blade with such force that it dislodged the sword from Cloud's hands. Baring his teeth in a toothy grin, Sephiroth backhanded Cloud, followed up with an uppercut, then a hard hook, and then a solid kick to Cloud's midsection that doubled him over, and then Sephiroth slashed downwards and into the same shoulder that he had pierced moments ago. 

Cloud screamed in agony as he fell to a knee, and Sephiroth pulled the blade from Cloud's shoulder and delivered a kick to Cloud's face that flipped him onto his back. Not stopping to give Cloud a breath, Sephiroth stabbed down toward Cloud, who rolled out of the way to narrowly evade being stabbed through the gut. Dodging these same thrusts several more times, Cloud managed to roll over to where First Tsurugi was laying. 

Blocking a downward slash with his sword, Cloud struggled against Sephiroth's strength as the man pushed down against the wide sword. Not a bead of sweat or wrinkle of stress was on Sephiroth's face – this fight was nothing but amusement to him. Cloud finally pushed Sephiroth's sword away and jumped to his feet in time to parry another slash and jump out of the way of another. 

At last, Cloud was able to lash out with his own attack, a horizontal slash that came nowhere near Sephiroth as the man leapt far into the air and landed on a wall several meters away. Balance not posing a problem on the narrow wall, Sephiroth stood with his chin high as he stared down at Cloud from his perch. "Enough games. You die now." 

The air around Sephiroth rippled, as if intense heat had formed around his being, and then bright green energy glowed with such radiance that it blinded Cloud. But suddenly, the bright green changed color as it darkened, and twisted, into a sickly dark purple that burned around him like fire. Raising his arms, the flame-like energy intensified and the wall beneath him crumbled, disintegrating under the overwhelming force. It seemed that wind ripped around Sephiroth and blew outwards, dirt and small pieces of debris zipping through the air and past Cloud as he watched helplessly as Sephiroth prepared his attack.

All of a sudden, Sephiroth moved, leaving flying debris in his wake as he rocketed toward Cloud with his sword at the ready. The strikes came so quickly that Cloud could only stand in pain as Sephiroth danced around him, slashing, hacking, and stabbing out at Cloud in such ferocity that the ground around Cloud began to crack and debris floated in the gusts that Sephiroth created as he sped around and about Cloud in a confusing dance of a flashing sword. 

After no more than ten seconds, the attack ended, and at first Cloud only stood in one spot – before realizing the burning pain that covered his body to match the hundreds of lacerations. Screaming out, his entire body trembling in pain, Cloud fell to the ground as blood began dripping and streaming from his wounds. First Tsurugi clattered to the ground next to him. 

Breaths coming in hisses through clenched teeth, Cloud squeezed his eyes shut as the pain was unbearable, covering every inch of his body. 

"To think, a _failure _made it this far…" Sephiroth taunted with a grin as he pointed his blade at Cloud. "But, this is as far as you go, Cloud." 

Cloud looked up weakly as Sephiroth raised his blade above his head, preparing the final strike that would finish Cloud off. This time, with Zack and Aerith being busy restraining the Lifestream, Cloud doubted they could give him a second chance at life again…

Just then, the white aura returned to Cloud, encasing his body once again. Suddenly, time slowed, as Sephiroth started to bring his sword down. Cloud reacted, grabbing his own sword in both hands with some unknown strength, and leapt up off of the ground and plunged the sword into Sephiroth's abdomen. Time moved normally again, and Cloud pushed the blade further still. Sephiroth's hands were still above his head when he dropped his sword and turned slowly to face Cloud, eyes wide in shock and awe as Cloud's sword pulsated with white energy that ripped through Sephiroth's being. 

Pulling his blade out, Cloud stepped away as green energy exploded from Sephiroth's abdomen, escaping through the massive wound. Cloud silently thanked Zack and Aerith as he watched Sephiroth stumble backwards as Lifestream flooded out of him and spread throughout the fake world that Sephiroth had evoked. 

The world around them began to dissolve, the illusion of a near-dead Planet disappearing as Edge returned in its normal state. Even as this happened, Sephiroth opened his mouth in a silent scream as shafts of green shot out of every inch of his body in a blinding display. In the next instant, Sephiroth's entire body had begun to glow, and soon after his body exploded into a spray of Lifestream that spread out across Edge in seconds. 

Free from Sephiroth and his will, the Lifestream surged back into the Planet, where it belonged. Without Sephiroth's will, the Jenova cell's within the Lifestream settled, and did not rebel against the Planet. Over time, they would be recycled into new life…but for now, they would journey the Lifestream in peace. Sephiroth's body was so saturated with Lifestream that his soul was lost within, scrambled, and forever disconnected. 

Cloud watched silently as he stood in one spot. As a weak grin spread on his battered face, Cloud dropped First Tsurugi and began to waver. His head lolled, and Cloud collapsed, a grin still on his face as he fell into darkness. 


	17. Chapter 17

**Final Fantasy VII**

**Rebirth**

A/N: Well…as you can probably tell from the last chapter, this is the end of Rebirth…I hope those who read it enjoyed the ride, and I want to thank you for reading it. I think I'm going to take a break from fiction writing for a while and focus on my own original novels. But, I'll be back, so keep a look out for my next Final Fantasy 7 fiction. 

Well, as always, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I hope you like the way I wrap it all up. Until next time…

**Chapter XVIII**

There was calm, Wutainese, music floating through Turtles Paradise. The natives who sat about the bar no longer eyed Princess Kisaragi and her new companion. After several years of his presence, they had grown to accept him – whether he was an outsider, or not. It also didn't help that his friend, a bald man with many piercings and who always wore sunglasses, looked so menacing – which was something that stuck out in such a peaceful community. 

Reno sat his empty glass down and unfolded his legs from beneath him and sat with his legs sprawled out – quite the opposite of Wutainese custom. Wrapping an arm around the shoulders of Yuffie, Reno grinned and pulled her close before planting a kiss on her cheek. "This is the life…" Reno commented, before turning to Rude and saying, "Right partner?" 

Rude was sitting on the other side of the low table, sitting with his legs beneath him as to respect the customs of the others in the bar. His shoulders were square, his back perfectly straight, and his hands folded in front of him. The quiet man nodded before sipping from his glass and placing it back on the table neatly. 

"For Leviathan's sake, man…" Reno drawled, shaking his head at his ex-partner, "Loosen up some!" Reno pulled his legs under him and reached across the table to grab the tie around Rude's neck. Giving it a few yanks, Reno loosened it from the bald mans neck and then started to attack the buttons of Rude's shirt, before having his hand seized. "Oh come on, Rude. You don't need to wear that damn suit everywhere. You practically wear it to _sleep_." Complained Reno as he pulled his hand from Rude's grip. At that point, Reno waved the waiteress over. 

Yuffie laughed from beside Reno. "It looks good on him." 

Rude watched Reno and Yuffie from behind his glasses as he straightened his tie and flattened out his shirt where Reno had grabbed and wrinkled it. 

"Besides," Yuffie observed, "I think he'd look weird wearing anything else." 

Reno sighed heavily and ordered another round of drinks. As the waitress left, Reno looked back at Rude and shook his head. "Tomorrow I'm buyin' you a goddamn pair of jeans and a shirt…"

* * *

"Nice, Rufus." Tseng commented, watching Rufus' golf ball soar through the air, and then twist off abruptly to the left and into a pit of sand. 

Rufus sighed heavily and walked back toward where Tseng stood. The Wutainese man had a smug grin plastered onto his face, one which caused Rufus to narrow his eyes and say, "Don't sugarcoat it, Tseng – say what you mean." 

Grin widening, Tseng shrugged and said, "Well…maybe you need to come out here and work on this a little bit…" 

Rufus hoisted his golf bag onto his shoulder and raised his eyebrow. "Really?" Rufus laughed, "That's it? Hmph…for some reason I think you're still holding back a little bit." 

As the two men started away with their golf bags on their shoulders, Tseng turned to Rufus and gave a wink before saying, "Well, maybe you should just give another hobby a try." 

Rufus laughed and looked into the sky. "So, how's your wife?"

"Elena's fine." Tseng grinned to himself as he thought of his ex-employee. "Have you learned about Reno and Rude lately?" 

Rufus nodded. "They're both in Wutai…apparently Reno and Yuffie got…serious..." Rufus laughed a bit – the word 'serious' just didn't belong in the same sentence as 'Reno' or 'Yuffie'. 

"What about Rude?" 

"He's Rude." 

Tseng grinned. "Ah." 

* * *

"Nanaki…?" 

Raising his head, Red XIII grinned a bit – or at least, his version of a grin – and turned around to face his fellow tribesman. It was a young boy with brown hair, one who was fond of Red XIII and who asked many questions about his adventures. "Yes, friend?" 

The boy grinned a bit and said, "Nala say's for you to come down and spend some time before you have to leave." 

Red XIII nodded and then turned back to his father's stone body that he had been watching from afar. _I have to go now…_Red XIII told his father, in his own language that the boy could not understand. _I'll be back in a few days, Seto. _

As Red XIII arrived inside of his room beneath the observatory, Nala waited patiently for him. Her red-furred form was curled up atop a comfortable cushion that she and Red XIII shared. Upon his arrival, Nala rose onto all fours and stretched before approaching him and nudging his nose with her own. Nala was a fine female, and what Red XIII saw as his perfect other half. Her fur was just a shade lighter than Red XIII's blazing coat, and her eyes sparkled emerald. Her body, lean and muscular, moved with such elegance that it sometimes hypnotized him. Above all else, she was intelligent. 

_Can't I come with you this time?_

Red XIII nudged Nala's nose and growled, _Yes, I guess it's time that you met him, isn't it? _

* * *

"SONUVABITCH!" 

"You okay in there?" 

Growling, Cid scratched furiously at the back of his head and reached into his pocket. Pulling out a pack of gum, the old pilot retrieved a piece and jammed it into his mouth before staring back down at the chess board in front of him and cursing the man that sat across from him. In anger, Cid moved a piece quickly and without strategy. "How the hell'd you get so good at this, anyways?" 

"Cid, everything okay?" 

"No, Shera, it's not! I'm getting my ass whooped in chess!" Cid replied angrily, staring down at the board for several seconds before looking up at his opponent, who was chuckling. "What's so goddamn funny, Valentine?" 

Vincent continued to chuckle. "Well…" Moving his rook, Vincent said, "Check mate." 

"…" Taking a deep, shaky, breath, Cid restrained himself from yelling out every curse that he knew and said, "I think we need to try something else." 

Shrugging, Vincent said, "How about we just have a…'cold one'?" Vincent suggested, remembering what Cid had said some time ago about sitting back and having one like old times. 

Cid grinned widely and said, "Well jolly-fucking-shit, it looks like Valentine's finally becoming human." 

Vincent grinned. "I'm just thirsty." 

"SHERA! Get two beers – hell, make it six! Me and Valentine's partyin'!" 

Vincent raised an eyebrow. "What's the occasion?" 

"Well, you just grinned for the first time in god knows how long, and I quit smoking…" 

Shera entered the room with a six-pack as Cid had asked for and handed each of the men their own beer. 

Thanking Shera, Vincent turned to Cid and said, "Well, I think I can say that those two things are worth drinking to." 

Cid nodded in agreement and twisted his cap off. "Cheers!" The two men clanged their bottles and Vincent sat back and took a breath before sipping the beer and relaxing for the first time in quite awhile. 

* * *

"So, how's the business?" 

"We just found another field…it seems like the stuffs everywhere." Barret replied, sipping his drink. "Yeah, times are good. Mako's a thing of the past, Shin-Ra's long gone, the WRO's holdin' the world together, and there ain't no lunatic's runnin' around trying to destroy the Planet. Things are really starting to look up, Tif'." 

Tifa grinned and dried a glass that she had been cleaning. "It seems kind of weird, having nothing to worry about. Doesn't it?" 

Barret nodded agreement. "So, how goes the bar?" 

Drying another glass, Tifa sat it in a cabinet and said, "It couldn't be better. Really popular, since we're all 'heroes'. People come in all day just to get autographs when some of the others are here…I think everyone in town has mine already." Grabbing another glass and scrubbing it, Tifa grinned and said, "I think everyone comes here because Cloud used to live here." 

Barret went silent and looked at Tifa. "Do you really miss him that much?" 

"…yeah…" Tifa admitted in a low voice. "It's been a long time…" 

Barret only grinned understandingly. 

"What do you mean, _used to live here_? Hmm?" 

Tifa turned to her left and grinned. "Well, you're always gone, so…" 

Barret laughed. "She keeps you busy, does she Spiky?" 

Cloud laughed and walked over to Tifa. "That she does." Planting a kiss on her lips, Cloud walked around to the other side of the bar and sat next to Barret. Giving the man a clap on his back, Cloud asked, "How've you been, Barret?" 

"I'm good, Cloud. I came to see Marlene, too…I guess she's sleepin', huh?" 

Cloud nodded. "Yeah, her and Denzel both. They've got school tomorrow, so they had to get to bed early." Tifa handed Cloud a drink before going back to washing dishes. "You staying long?" 

Barret nodded. "A few days. Until I've got to go out and look at the new oil field we discovered out there on the Western Continent." Barret sipped his drink again and then turned back to Cloud before asking, "Well, how's things goin' for you?" 

Cloud sipped his own drink and grinned. Looking up at Tifa, his grin widened even more. "I've got my friends and my family, Barret…Truthfully, thing's can't get much better than this." 

END


End file.
